Moments In Time
by FlaxenHairedSamurai
Summary: Made up of two gods, a mystical bird, the first time traveller and two human sisters, the Elite Unit struggle to keep history on track, while dealing with their personal lives. Story 11: Snapshots as our tie travelling family prepares to grow again.
1. Happy Endings

Spoilers for the Xenoverse 2 secret ending. When Trunks decided to finally do what he wanted, he hadn't expected his partner to find out. He expected what happened next even less.

* * *

"Looking for this?" Slowly drawing back to full height, Trunks turned from the scrolls to see his partner holding one on her hand, tapping it against the other like some kind of weapon. The longer he stared at it, the more he knew it was the one he had been searching for, that it was his timeline held within. Without saying a word, Trunks pulled his eyes from it, ready to defend himself against the challenge he knew Grainy would have in her eyes.

But there wasn't one. Instead Grainy, who had never hid her emotions from friends, was looking at him with pity. There was no fight in her body, and even though the passing of a solid week had her back to full form, Trunks knew that were he cruel or desperate enough to attack her for it, she would've let him.

Setting the scroll on the table, Grainy took a deliberate step back, her intent slowly sinking in. "You're just letting me go?"

"Isn't that what you want?" Her voice wobbled a bit, but otherwise stayed firm. "You were just about to leave without telling anyone."

Without telling me.

It was that part that hurt the most, the seeming lack of trust he had in Grainy. For the past two years, they had fought together, placing their lives in the others hands too many times to count. She had saved him from being erased from history, he had hunted down an antidote for her, having already pulled her from death's door without thinking about it. There had been more speculation about their relationship than any other, more days off spent together, and though they had secrets from each other, they were far and few between.

With her eyes on him, Trunks could look towards the scroll, let alone move towards it. He found himself wishing she would yell or scream at him, so he could fight back. That wasn't Grainy's style though. People like Towa and Mira the ones who saw her angry enough to shriek, and the results were never pretty. That, and she knew as well as he did that an argument would bring the Kais running, and if they didn't guess what was happening, Grainy would lie for him without a second thought. The plan to sneak away was going further downhill.

"I understand." Grainy finally said, ducking her gaze and grabbing her bracer. The action was starting to become more familiar to him, along with how she caught herself doing it. It was hard to forget the feeling of being powerless, he knew from experience. "Solin told me what happened while I was gone and I…I just don't think it's fair."

"Life rarely is." Trunks had heard his father say something along those lines often, and the echoing of it brought a frown to his partner's lips.

"I just meant-" Taking a deep breath, Grainy dropped her voice a level, "We fix history, that's true. But what's the point of having so many timelines if the same guy always loses? If you just made a case to Chronoa, instead of sneaking away like a criminal-"

"You're forgetting Grainy, if I change my timeline, the one that changed the whole course of time, then who knows what could happen?"

"Gohan lives and you still go back to give Goku the medicine. You get a happy ending for once, and all that changes is that there's one more branching path, one more scroll in the Vault." Her bottom lip visibly quivered for a second before her teeth pinched it, "You can still come home."

Trunks finally ducked her gaze, moving to look at the scroll. It wasn't like he hadn't given this some thought. The Time Patrol would be far from leaderless, not with Grainy and Solin around to train with the recruits and watch the main scrolls. There wasn't even a real threat for them to face any more, not with Mira defeated and the message to not to mess with time received loud and clear by the rest of the universe. And without him there, they wouldn't have to worry about him being in a timeline he wasn't supposed to be in, or the possibility of something erasing him again.

Without him realising, Grainy crept closer, enough that when he finally turned to look at her, she was close enough for him to see the tears beginning to gather on her lashes. Then, before he could say anything, she was balancing on the tips of her toes, gaining the inch that had previously separated them before softly kissing him.

It wasn't the first time he'd felt her lips. The previous Christmas, mistletoe had somehow appeared all around Conton City, the Time Patrol divided into those trying to avoid the plant, those who were waiting by it hopefully, and those tugging a sprig from its perch to go on the hunt. He'd been dodging the stuff for a while before the message caught on.

By the time the party was drawing to a close, it had just been the pair of them awake in the Nest, Solin having taken herself home an hour earlier, and the Supreme Kai yawning widely. She had told them to leave the cleaning until the morning, but they'd stuck around to at least stack the dishes, Grainy being slightly less helpful than usual thanks to the amount of punch she'd had. She wasn't the lightweight that a few of the gamblers had thought, but she was fairly tispy, enough that when she finally tried to fly home, her ki went haywire. It had only been a few inches to the ground, so once her confusion had passed, she was all giggles, taking the hand Trunks offered her gratefully before taking a more sedate walk back to her flat.

The cold air seemed to do her some good, sobering her just enough that when they were at the doorway to her flat, the leaves over her doorframe were easy enough to recognise. "Solin", she sighed with a shake of her head, sending him an apologetic look before reaching to pull it down.

Trunks wasn't sure why he had done it, but his own fingers were soon entwined with hers, pulling the hand back to her side, "We should at least follow the rules, right?" Looking back, his own punch intake probably hadn't helped the situation. Then again, maybe it was because he wanted to see if those rumours could actually have anything to them. Maybe it was because Grainy hadn't been chasing him with the stuff all night like some people. Or maybe it was just because the effort Grainy had put into her appearance for the party made her look quite pretty.

None of that mattered though, because the kiss was empty. Sure, Grainy pulled away a little breathless, and wearing a flush that could rival Trunks' own, but he felt nothing of her in it, and he doubted there had been any of him in it either.

Without much fanfare, the mistletoe was tugged down and the next day, clear headed and still blushing, they agreed to put it behind them. She spent the day kicking an overpowered Freeza out of the Cell Games, he spent the day tackling the cleaning, and by the time dinner rolled around, the matter had been forgotten.

This kiss only lasted a second, and it was on his cheek, but it was full of her, enough that when he snatched another as she moved away, it was still on her lips. Two years of being partners, two years of having each other's backs, and it was only when they were never going to see each other again that they realised what they were losing.

Still holding her with his lips, Trunks pulled her close enough to feel the tears streaking down her face, the warmth as horrible as he had known it would be. When she finally pulled her face away, it wasn't to sob like he feared, but to drop from her toes and rest her head on his shoulder, taking steady breaths. "You beat them." She commanded in a whisper, "Make them wish they were never activated."

"I will," He swore into her hair.

He felt her nod, head pressing down enough that looking over her shoulder like he was, Trunks could see the nape of her neck peeking out of her pilot suit. He stared hard at the spot, barely hearing her speak again, "I'll be right here watching. If you need help, you fucking call for it, got it?" He had never heard Grainy swear before. "Promise me you'll call."

If he did, she'd come running faster than time itself. She'd give him his happy ending before going back and facing whatever punishment the Kais laid out for her. She'd blindly walk into trouble, just like before with Demigra to save a friend, because, as Towa had so aptly guessed, next to the worry about her borrowed time running out, Grainy would do anything to avoid losing someone else in her life. Trunks knew all of this.

"Promise me." Grainy begged, feeling his hand move to rest between her shoulder blades, feeling every knob in her spine as it went. She didn't feel how he lingered every so often before continuing, so desperate was she for an answer. He had to know she wouldn't let him go unless he promised, right? The hand continued to rise, finally settling on the back of her neck. As was usual she tensed slightly before the soft stroking and rubbing made her relax, letting out a soft sigh at his non verbal reassurance. Just as he moved his hand away, Grainy pulled back a bit, trying to meet his eyes,

"Trunks, plea-" Her voice cut out the second the side of his hand met her neck again.

He'd kept his eyes closed while making the strike, his hand carefully counting the vertebrae before going for it. It seemed to be becoming something of a trend, knocking out the people you wanted to protect.

Trunks hadn't wanted to see her eyes go wide with betrayal, but there was no hiding the sharp intake of breath she gave before slumping against him. Her ear was close enough to his mouth for an apology she couldn't hear to be whispered, before he started the careful task of lowering her to the floor, clinging to her for as long as he could. The way her head turned to the side upon touching the floor made her resemble her own corpse, the sight of which he thought he'd hidden away with the scrolls. At least her eyes were closed this time.

Crouching near her for as long as he dared, counting her breaths, Trunks finally looked back at the scroll before unhooking his earpiece and tucking it into her hand. Taking a last look, he took the scroll from where it had been resting the whole time, closing his eyes and another chapter of his life.

* * *

Morning broke in the Time Nest with a horrified yell from Elder Kai and Solin flying in frantically, having woken up to find her sister missing again.

A few hours passed while they examined the scroll left open on the table, during which Grainy was allowed to go without questioning, everyone present being pretty sure they knew what had happened. As Solin found out when she came out of the Vault in a temper, she hadn't gone far. She only noticed her sister once she was at the base of the steps, having been preoccupied with her stream of curses, most of which were aimed at the Supreme Kai. What the point of holding a vote if you were just going to do what you wanted anyway? Finishing with a few expletives that would've made a sailor proud, Solin finally stopped dead at the sight by the pond, her anger swiftly changing targets.

Her sister was sat cross legged with her back to the Vault and by extension Solin. The red mark Solin knew was on her neck was easily hidden by her collar, where it would quickly fade if the gods wanted to grant Trunks any luck once Solin got her hands on him. Tokitoki was next to her, cooing softly at seeing his favourite so downtrodden, ignoring the hand Grainy was idly running through his feathers. When she continued to ignore him, he took the trailing edge of her sash in his beak, tugging on it to get her attention. The laugh it earned was fake through and through, but it was enough to fool the age old bird, who moved to sit in the space her legs created. It was obviously his turn to ignore her now, as he paid no attention to her joking demands that he move before he covered her skirt in feathers.

Watching the scene from afar, Solin felt her rage increase slightly. She had got to the Vault just as Elder Kai was helping her sister sit up again, the old man breathing in relief when he saw where the strike had hit. There would be no permanent damage, he had promised both girls, but it was the last part of his statement that Solin wanted to fix on, and probably would've had Supreme Kai not suggested Grainy might want to get some air. Then again, Solin wasn't stupid.

She had been in the class when Trunks demonstrated the strike, Grainy electing to miss that session rather than acting like his assistant as she usually did. He had impressed on them the importance of only using it if it was necessary, and only if they knew where to hit. Pointing to the different vertebrae they could just see on the saiyan who had volunteered, Trunks told them that hitting the wrong one, especially with the strength some of the Time Patrol had, could cause paralysis or death.

The mark had been well clear of that danger area, but Solin couldn't shake the thought of Trunks miscalculating his target and ending Grainy's defiance of fate. Regardless of what course of action Chronoa chose, had that happened, there would be nowhere in time that was safe for Trunks.

Giving a sniff at the route her thoughts had taken, Solin turned on her heel and stormed back up the Vault stairs, though she knew a decision couldn't possibly have been made yet.

Ignorant to what was happening behind her, Grainy slowly unclenched the fist her other hand had been in since she had awoken, Tokitoki looking at the revealed earpiece with curiosity. "He left it behind." She explained in a small voice, turning it over in her hands. As she did, a single tear sparkled in the Nest's eternal daytime, flying onto a blade of grass when she shook her head.

"At least he didn't promise."


	2. On the Way to Normal Again Pt 1

In the wake of Trunks' decision, and her part in his departure, Grainy is put on suspension with no way to know what will happen. She could use cheering up, and luckily her friends and family are all to happy to oblige, while Solin decides that since the party's been planned for ages, it's up to her to make some part of the night a surprise.

* * *

The third bedroom overlooked the back garden through a bay window, letting in plenty of natural light. Although it was the smallest one, there was plenty of room for his equipment, and whenever he had a model in, he just needed to shift a few things about. He was the only one who ever spent much time in there, with his wife only coming in on occasion to kick him out for a break, or so she could prop a window open and clear the air. His daughters rarely came in either, Grainy being too scared of ruining the organised chaos, and Solin had outright stated the smell of his oil paints made her woozy. Their absences kept the cat from getting in, so he didn't mind too much.

Adjusting a couple of wayward strokes, Garri glanced between the canvas and the photo he was using as a reference before switching to a smaller brush. He'd promised himself he'd get the painting finished by the end of the week, and while he was making progress with it, the deadline crept closer and closer, breathing down his neck as they all did. Taking any longer would not only soil his punctual reputation, but it would also put the painting in the firing line of the weekly clean Cass always insisted upon. Thinking on it, Garri firmly pushed his glasses back up his face and reached for the light blue.

He got maybe an hour's extra work in before the door was opening, Cass entering without so much as a knock or a please. She did however close it behind her again, a precaution she'd had to remind herself of recently, what with her daughter and the cat coming back home. "Break time." She ordered, edging her way across the room as she did. "Nola offered to cook tonight, so all you have to do is clean up."

"What's she cooking?"

"Feijoada. As if she'd dare shift from your schedule." Considering this, Garri conceded the point, and set his brush down, before moving back on his stool slightly to check his progress. Usually Cass would leave with a shake of her head when he did that, but today she came to stand next to him, taking a good look for herself. He shifted attention to her face, deciding she'd make a better judge than he would considering this had been mostly her idea.

They both heard the phone ringing downstairs, but ignored it, and while her eyes roved over the careful sketching yet to be filled in and the vivid splashes of colour, Cass curved her mouth into that secret smile she reserved for Garri's sweeter moments or when the girls came home after a long period away. Spotting it a mile away, Garri turned only to pick up the photo, which he held up as a comparison. "Do you think Nola will like it then?"

"Oh she'll love it." Giving her husband a well deserved kiss on the cheek, Cass soon looked back at the painting, able to see the finished product already. "And to think, you're only fourteen years behind schedule." Ignoring the huff that he was never late, she pulled away at last, head turning at the light knocking of the door. The sound had the effect she had been hoping to achieve by mentioning food, Garri all but teleporting from his stool to get to the door before it opened from the outside. Snorting at his paranoia, Cass nonetheless indulged him by turning the easel around a few degrees, hiding what was on the canvas. With a last peek and a smile, she started to move back to Garri, who opened the door a crack.

If Grainy had heard or felt the commotion, she didn't show it, instead preferring to poke her head through as much as she was able, the house phone pressed against her neck, "Tana wanted to know what you need for Friday night."

"Just brown ale for your dad and rose for me." Cass affirmed, sliding through the gap to join her on the other side. "Tell her we'll cover the cost." She added when Grainy put the phone to her ear, repeating the order. While she did, Cass quickly ran a mother's eyes over her, frowning a little.

It had been four days since Grainy had appeared on their doorstep, clutching enough clothes to last the week and Gnocchi's carry case. There had been no warning, no explanation for the unannounced arrival. All they had been able to pry out of her was that she was on suspension pending an investigation, and while that had sent off a thousand questions, the closest they got to answers was Solin (dropping by with a few things her sister had left behind) telling them that Grainy was just going to be out of the loop concerning a few decisions. The part about suspension hadn't been denied, but Solin had looked angry with the label so they didn't ask again.

The light smile ghosting across Grainy's face was the happiest they had seen her since then, and Cass made a mental note to ring Tana later and thank her. There was something about her energy that made it impossible to frown around her, and to see it still working was a weight off of her and Garri's minds. Seeming to sense her mother's attention, Grainy turned to look at her slightly, but her eyes soon crossed over to Garri who had slipped out of the studio as well and whether it was down to feeling awkward, or the hallway simply getting crowded, she moved back towards the stairs, laughing at something Tana said, replying with a simple, "No, I don't think Rai would thank us for that." Another snort and laugh, "Alright, we'll see you all on Friday. Remember what Mom said about the drinks…brown and rose, I just told you!"

Leaning on the banister to watch her make her way downstairs, Cass spoke in a low tone to her husband, keeping an eye out for any sign of Grainy's attention, "You picked feijoada."

"What about it?"

"You only make that when you're worried about Nola. I would've thought you'd be racing down there to help her."

In answer, Garri moved close enough to kiss her softly, "How do you know I'm not?" And without further ado, he followed his daughter's path, calling for her to get started on the slicing. Not shifting from her spot, Cass heard Grainy hang up with a garbled goodbye before she started protesting, Garri kindly, but firmly shooting every single one down before repeating his order.

The singing started not long afterwards, his more polished voice contrasting sharply with Grainy's crackly caterwauling, which Gnocchi eagerly joined in with when Cass opened the back door.

Rolling her eyes to the ceiling, Cass planted herself in the living room with the kitchen hatch open and revealing all the warm smells that came with Brazilian cooking. Just like every other time they had feijoada for dinner, the house was teleported back in time using none of the fancy technology of the Patrol Grainy and Solin worked for, preferring the more mundane but no less magical power of memory. If she closed her eyes, Cass could easily picture her husband standing next to Grainy at the counter. Her daughter would be balancing on a precarious structure made out of a small stool, the phone book and any catalogues they had lying about. That she wouldn't be able to move was no issue, because Garri would just push things her way, the whole time explaining in a low tones that while what the other kids at school said was mean and probably did deserve to get punched (Cass had thrown a glare through the hatch at that point), it didn't mean she should let their words bother her.

The song continued on in the background, Garri backtracking patiently whenever Grainy got a word wrong or when he needed something, but otherwise the cooking went on like it really was a holiday, and Solin was going to burst through the front door any minute, laughing over something one of her friends had said. But no amount of pretending was enough to trick Cass' mind from the truth. Shaking her head to clear it, she scooped Gnocchi up from his path to the hatch, and settled him in her lap, fingers carefully untangling the knots he had collected on his expedition. "You'd say if we had something to worry about, wouldn't you?" Gnocchi paused long enough in his purring to fix her with a look that just screamed incredulity before the sound continued. Cass had just enough sense to laugh at herself, before she picked up where she had left, the pair of them sharing no further words until the lullaby came to an end.

The stew was reaching the gently simmering point when they all heard the car horn outside, Grainy immediately wiping her hands clean to get to the door, getting there just as the first shadow approached the glass. Once the door was swinging open, a case of beer was practically shoved into her chest, the explanation following afterwards, as things with Tana tended to go.

"I come bearing booze!" The blonde cheerfully announced, shifting the other case from under her arm to rest in both hands, just as a muffled yell came from the sports car parked on their drive with the trunk open. Rolling her eyes exaggeratedly, Tana graciously corrected herself, "Alright, _we_ come bearing booze."

"Too right you bloody psycho!" Slamming the trunk down to reveal himself, Rai held his key towards the car and was crouching before the lights had flashed, reappearing with the six pack of ale and the wine bottle. Looking at Tana for an explanation, only to get an airy shrug as she went to drop her crate in the kitchen, Grainy was instead left alone with her old sparring partner, who now that there was no blonde in his way, actually smirked slightly. "Do you know what that crazy bint did?"

"No but I think you're going to tell me."

"I let her drive for ten minutes, because she said she needed the practise. Ten minutes, and she almost managed to kill us five times!"

Tana poked her head around the kitchen doorway to grab the extra case, stopping to fling her retort, "And now you've got another story that'll get you sympathy. Honestly what Chess sees in you-" The usual bickering was cut off by a quiet laugh from Grainy, her friends swapping a triumphant look. Rai soon slipped round both women, while Tana swung herself back into the porch, fixing Grainy with a critical eye until the laughter stopped again. Sparing a second to look at her clothes, Tana soon turned to address Cass, who had come out to investigate the chaos that had descended on her house, wrapping an arm around Grainy's shoulders and yanking her close without paying attention to her protests, "Do you mind if we kidnap Grainy tomorrow? Chess has no idea what to get her for Friday."

The effect was instant, Grainy halting her struggles to slump, the urge to groan becoming overpowering within seconds. Shopping in itself was a torture, but shopping with Chess? That was a punishment even a demon would balk at, and having fought a few, Grainy considered herself experienced enough to make the comment. Her mother's nod only compounded the feeling, and this time Grainy did groan, Tana giving little sympathy but a short pat on the back before she was calling for Rai, who appeared within a second, "What?"

"Come on, we need to get back before your parents realise you took the car." When Rai just tilted his head, Tana all but growled at him, the glare sparking something in him. Releasing Grainy with a request to actually be ready for tomorrow, Tana followed after him, leaving Cass and Grainy to watch them leave.

They were closing the door when Tana asked if she could try driving again, Cass shaking her head at Rai's one finger answer. "Watching any of you lot together, you would think you were still teenagers."

"Best kind of friendship if you ask me." Garri called from the kitchen, where he was now looking at the assembled alcohol with an expression that clearly asked what he was supposed to do with it all. "Not that anyone ever does."

* * *

When Gohan had flown up to tell them there was a visitor waiting for him back home, Trunks hadn't needed to think before shooting off, leaving the younger him and his mentor to follow at their own speeds. The only visitors they got were people seeking medical advice from his mother, or those who wanted to see the man who had destroyed the androids. Neither group were noteworthy enough for Gohan to interrupt their training like he had, which could only mean whoever it was had come from the Time Patrol. That they'd left Gohan alive despite being one of the two major 'issues' with this timeline's flow was strange, but if it was who he thought it was, it wasn't so out of character.

His feet were barely on the ground before he was pushing the front door open, an energy level stopping his striding in one. For a second, it and his own shock held him prisoner, before its owner powered down again, and he was able to start walking again. All too soon he was entering the kitchen, greeting his mother with a quick nod, while doing his best to ignore the girl sat at the table. It seemed to be a goal they shared anyway, Solin deliberately keeping her head down, fingers curled tightly around her mug. Neither of them said a word to each other, leaving it down to Bulma to break the silence with a quick promise that there were still enough tea bags if he wanted to make himself one.

Recognising the awkwardness between them, Bulma hastily got to her feet, draining her own mug clean. The sudden movement made both heads look her way, but there was a moment when they both glanced towards the other, both ready for a fight at a moment's notice. Catching it with a frown that lasted only a second, she turned to address Trunks only, while the girl slunk back into her previous position. "I'll give you two some privacy, and get Gohan and the other you to go on a supply run or something."

"Thank you." Trunks all but whispered, his frown deepening when it was echoed by Solin.

Paying it no mind, Bulma set her empty mug by the sink and left them to it. On any other day, she'd be concerned that the kind of atmosphere she had just left could spark a confrontation that would leave the house more of a wreck than it already was. But the short conversation she had had while Gohan was collecting Trunks was enough to put that fear at ease. The girl had made it clear who she was and that she wasn't looking for a fight. As long as she kept that careful attitude, she and Trunks should be able to talk without throwing a punch.

Keeping himself busy with his drink, Trunks didn't acknowledge his guest again until he heard the front door close with a little more force and noise than was needed, Bulma probably trying to make it clear that they were alone. "There's some wasteland not far from here. If we go out far enough we won't damage the rebuilding or put anyone at risk. For now…I wouldn't mind hearing some news."

The request wasn't as surprising as he might've thought it was. Tightening her grip on her mug like she had often seen her sister do when her nerves were shot, Solin chewed on her lip a little. "I'm not here to fight you, Trunks." She finally said, keeping her eyes firmly fixed on the doorway opposite her. "And you and I both know I'm not here for Gohan either."

"Then why have you brought that?"

Solin's hand went for the power pole automatically, but only to adjust how it was leaning against the table. Once that was done, her fingers were back on the table, her gaze straight ahead once more. "I didn't want you to know I was here until I had to." The weapon was her precaution against the various bandits or other lowlifes that might've tried to bother her on her way to Capsule Corp. Granted she didn't know there were any, and she'd made it this far without any trouble, but she'd watched enough movies to know that when society crumbled, humanity had a bad tendency to bring out its worst. "It wasn't until you came bursting through the door that I realised the idea of your mom being alone with a stranger that somehow knew you personally probably wasn't very reassuring."

"You could say that." Squeezing the bag out carefully, Trunks finally moved away from the side, taking the seat his mother had been in. While it would have been easy to avoid eye contact for a lot longer, the best way to know if Solin was telling the truth was to look at her dead on. Once he was seated, Solin refocused her eyes to adjust for his presence, holding his stare until he redirected his eyes to his drink. The last time he had seen those eyes their owner had been pleading for a promise he couldn't give. Wincing slightly at the memory he still couldn't shift, Trunks cleared his throat before asking again for the news.

"Things are pretty much the same. Chronoa's thinking of recruiting some more mentors for the Patrol, but the school's been pretty quiet recently, since you and Grainy aren't teaching there." The name hung between them awkwardly, Solin taking a sip to stall for a few more seconds before carrying on, "She's actually why I came."

"I figured it'd be you they sent. I thought you would've killed me by now." His weak attempt at a smile had died by the time his mug was at his lips. "How is she?"

"She's fine by all accounts." Solin felt no triumph when Trunks finally looked back her way, confusion and a little fear in his features. So their first instinct had been right, Trunks hadn't attacked Grainy out of malice or because he feared her changing her mind. They shouldn't have had to consider those possibilities, but with four days to think it over, there had been more than a few ideas she and Elder Kai had wished they hadn't thought of. Neither of them had gone to Chronoa about it though. She already had a lot on her plate. "The Supreme Kai thought there was something Grainy left out, so she checked the Vault Scroll. We decided her judgement wasn't going to be clear, so she's been temporarily relieved of her duties."

"She's been put on suspension?"

"No! Why does everyone have to keep saying that? You get suspended from school for starting three fights in two hours-don't ask- not for screwing up once. Grainy is just spending some time at home. _Paid_ time if I have anything to say about it." The last part was said off to the side a little, in the same way any of them did when they were talking into their earpieces. So much for this being a private conversation.

Spotting his incredulous expression, Solin gave a hesitating chuckle before pulling the piece free, and shoving it in her jacket pocket. It probably wouldn't completely muffle the sound, but it was certainly an improvement. "Sorry."

"Why are you here, Solin?" Trunks asked, deciding that if they were at the point where privacy was completely out of the window, they might as well get down to business. His mother wouldn't be able to keep Gohan away forever, and once they came back, there would be no hiding Solin from his younger self. "You said you're not here to fight, then why are you here?"

"To get you to come back with me." Solin quickly tipped the last of her tea down her throat, giving a rough shudder as the dregs went down. "I know keeping time's hard enough for us, but you know what's happening in a couple of days in our time."

How could he forget? Before that solid lead on Towa and Mira had turned into another universe saving emergency, it had been something to look forwards to. It had briefly popped up in their memories afterwards, but by then he'd been tempted too many times, and then that final exchange… "She won't want to see me."

"Because you knocked her out? Jesus Trunks, if Grainy dropped contact with everyone who got a punch in, there'd be nobody to talk to at all." Even as she laughed, Solin's grin was dropping, her fingers slowly running along the brim of her mug. "Look, I'll admit it; I was pissed off when we found out what happened. And yes, in any other circumstance, I'd be decorating the walls with your guts. But right now my sister's sat at home without knowing what kind of punishment is going to get assigned, and for all she knows, it'll be a duplicate of you that she comes back to. The decision is pending, and I can't promise you'll get to keep this peace. But for the love of God, you and her need to sit down and talk to each other, alright?" She returned her eyes-Grainy's eyes- to his, even as she pushed her chair back a bit to rise. "I know you knocked her out because she's got that hero complex, but that shouldn't be your last memories of each other. Not after…" She trailed off, biting her lip as she stood up again, reaching for her power pole. Trunks didn't rise to see her to the door, but he didn't have to. At the door to the hallway, something seemed to occur to Solin, something that made her turn and give a last ditch effort to convince him. "Her sister, her partner, and two physical gods, one in charge of the entirety of time."

Despite himself, Trunks turned to look at her, meeting her serious look without flinching, "What?"

"That was who was in the Nest that day. When Towa erased Grainy's summoning and left her to die at that tournament, it was you who realised that something was wrong. Not the beings in charge of that shit; not me, even though I wouldn't have been there if not for her. You. When she was under that mind control, it was you who got that mask off her face. When she was scared to go to sleep in case the antidote didn't work, you sat there and read to her until she did, and you were right there when she woke up again." Giving her eyes a defiant rub, Solin clenched her lips in what definitely wasn't a scowl. "Even if you don't think she'd want to kiss you again, you're too close for either of you to try and forget or replace the other." She gave possibly the weakest chuckle in existence, partnered only by the heaviest shrug, "And hey, even if she decides to use you as a punching bag, her dad's not a bad cook, remember? You might as well get some food out of it."

None of it seemed to have any effect on the man in front of her. Trunks just kept giving her that same stare, asking her what she was doing there. Refusing to let her disappointment show, Solin turned again, slinging the rope across her body.

She was almost at the front gate before she heard him calling her name.


	3. On the Way to Normal Again Pt 2

Everybody knew that turning twenty one was –much like turning eighteen- just an excuse to go out and get drunk enough to forget why you were out in the first place. However, thanks to their long career of getting kicked out of every other nightclub in town, even if Grainy had wanted to have her party elsewhere, she wouldn't have been able to. Then again, staying at home would prevent the need to chug down her drink as fast as possible before racing for the door, a tradition she really wasn't up to honouring tonight.

Solin had appeared late the night before, getting in just before they locked up for the night. She had brought an entire rucksack bulging with gift bags, and a long box that she refused to let Grainy go near, but which bore her own name on the tag. Instead she had to settle for the box of chocolates that was slid onto her lap during the first commercial break, Solin shrugging off the question with a simple, "There was a whip round."

Now there was movement downstairs that she wasn't allowed to be a part of, furniture getting shifted to the side and food getting prepared. They told her to get ready, but that was a five minute job. Instead, after her shower, she and a similarly banished Gnocchi just rested on her bed, reading and purring to each other until the doorbell went for the first time and Tana's cry that she ( _they)_ had brought presents made her sit up at last. She'd been looking forwards to the party for a while now, and now everyone she cared about had finally showed up, so it was time to make the effort.

 _Not everyone,_ her mind oh so cheerfully whispered, while the back of her neck tingled slightly. Rubbing it defiantly, Grainy forced the feeling away and reached for the hanger hooked on her wardrobe handle.

The dress she had picked at Chess' urging was a deep green, since she apparently had too much blue in her wardrobe. It was simple and plain, but the black trim on the hem made it look just pretty enough for a party, and its neckline was just high enough to hide the blouse she wore underneath, leaving the short black sleeves to complement the trim. She was just pulling on a pair of flats when there was a nervous knock at the door, Rai quietly asking if he could come in. She took a long deep breath to chase away the last of that little voice before getting off her chair. Gnocchi was quick enough to escape when she opened the door for him, making a break for freedom. His escape took him back downstairs, where he received a quick fussing from Chess while she carried some platters through to the living room.

Lapping up the attention, he almost missed the shady conversation in the corner, his instincts crying out that the humans were up to something. However his yowl to cease and desist yielded little more than a glance in his direction before something changed hands, the taller one promising to follow the instructions. Grainy came downstairs a few minutes later, guiding her dad and Rai as they tried to get the canvas down the staircase without it scratching up the paintwork. "Are you sure I can't even have a peek?"

"Not a chance Nola. I didn't spend two hours writing a speech for you to just peek." Soon the canvas was resting on the display easel, the sheet carefully draped over until it was time for the unveiling. And if Garri had anything to say about it, that wasn't happening for another couple of hours, or until he had just enough of a buzz to not feel like a sentimental fool. Whichever came first, really he didn't mind.

Almost the second it was in place, Tana was handing out the booze, Rai toasting her cheerfully before returning to the laptop he'd had to leave when he was told to go get Grainy from her room. It had been all set up beforehand, but he couldn't help but notice there were a few additions to the playlist he'd spent the better part of the day preparing. He didn't have to think long about the culprit either, not with cheesy grin Solin was flashing at him from across the room. "She can't play innocent if she tried." Rai mumbled, hitting play anyway. He'd trust her judgement.

Hearing one of DJ's remixes blare out of the speakers after a second sent Grainy's eyes right to her sister, a thankful smile spreading across her face. "So there might've been a bit more than a whip round." Solin admitted, pulling the tab on her can. Her breezy tone was somewhat spoiled by the fact that the ring slipped out from under her finger. Glancing between it and the others to see if they'd noticed (they had) she hastily swallowed her dignity and turned away to struggle with it, only whirling back after a small snap broke the awkward tone. "Happy birthday sis!"

From where she was pouring Chess and her mother Alma a glass of wine, Cass watched Solin pull out the long box from under the table, holding it tightly in her grip while Grainy passed her own drink to Tana to unwrap it. She barely had the lid off before her younger sister was chatting a mile a minute, her brief sip of beer evidently not enough to erase her nervousness over such a present. "I figured that since you've never fought with a weapon, this can be something I teach you instead of the other way around." She trailed off as Grainy examined the simple staff carefully, running her hands along it to find a good grip. It didn't have the same strength of the power pole, but it was good enough to practise with until she got a better one. Recognising the promise for what it was, Grainy pulled her in for a one armed hug.

"No weapons in the house!" The call was enough to separate them, Tana laughing gleefully as they both realised they had no idea where to stash the bo for now. Grainy settled for propping it in the corner, where she hoped she'd remember to collect it from. As her hand came back to her side, it hovered over the first of the food platters, more than a few cookies getting pulled along. As if it was some sort of sign, the others slowly gravitated towards the food as well, but despite the amount of people, and the size of their appetites, there was still a fair amount left by the time Garri finally stood by the covered canvas again, his bottle of ale at the halfway point in his hand.

Giving Chess a quick kiss as her favourite song reached the end, Rai slowly let the music fade into nothing, pausing the next song in the list before it could even think about starting. The sudden silence made the last few heads turn Garri's way, Tana throwing hers back in a silent plea to the heavens before her mother caught her at it. Rubbing the sore patch on the back of her head, she quickly thought back to the last time she'd accepted an invitation to see some of Garri's work displayed. Looking down at her empty can with a grimace, she slipped to the back of the room, ignoring the call of her name, "I'm just getting another drink. Don't worry, Gar, I'll have the hatch open!"

Letting her go with a flippant wave, Garri took a quick sip of his ale, holding it in his mouth before swallowing at last. The faces before him were expectant and curious, his daughters' most of all. Focusing solely on them made it easier to remember what he was going to say, so carefully holding their gaze, he opened his mouth "When Nola was-"

"Crap, Rai, I need your keys!"

"What, why?"

"There's none left in the kitchen! We had that spare crate in the car, right?"

"We did?" Tana's face suddenly appeared in the hatch, but before they could even try and read her expression, Rai was flinching, "Oh yeah, that crate."

Clamping his mouth closed again, Garri swallowed his annoyance along with another mouthful of ale, while the apologetic DJ/chauffer fished in his pocket for a pair of keys that he quickly chucked over the heads separating them. Hearing the triumphant crow as she caught them easily, everyone waited until Tana's footsteps had faded again before turning back his way.

Waiting another second to make sure he was clear to speak, Garri started again, or at least he tried to. "When Nola-"

The sudden piercing shriek from outside had them all covering their ears, Solin even whimpering a little as Rai groaned and pushed his way out of the room, shouting over his car alarm the whole time, "You have to press the middle button first, you nutter!"

"How the hell was I supposed to know that!?"

"I don't know, common sense?"

Rubbing at the corner of his head that was sure to house a headache later, Garri flashed his eyes towards his daughter as the argument continued in the background, the name calling getting pettier as the alarm was switched off and they heard the trunk get slammed shut for the second time that week. Well, he supposed, if the city weren't used to those pair yet, that was their own fault.

Rai soon crept back in with every eye in the room on him as he took his space beside Chess with a huff, while Tana busied herself in the kitchen. Nobody saw how Grainy's eyes were narrowed slightly, her brain whirring as it tried to figure out how they had already cleared out the two crates the pair had dropped round prior, or why they had left another in the car. That is to say, nobody saw but Solin, who felt the first lick of panic build up.

"I'd wait until she comes back in." Alma gently advised, spotting the slight flush starting to appear on their host's face. "It'd probably be easier."

Never one to let other people's opinions affect her, Tana strode back in casually, already sipping at her can. Only when he was certain that she was settled did Garri start again, his mind laying out the mental sheet of paper again carefully. "When Nola was seven, she asked me a question that I'll never forget." He paused, both for effect and to look at his elder daughter meaningfully.

"Where do babies come from?" She guessed, briefly looking at the others at the polite ripple of laughter it caused.

"No, but I still say I had the best answer ever for that."

"What'd he say?" Solin asked in a mumble. It was only when she finished that she realised it wasn't as quiet as she had hoped, and that Cass was glaring at her husband in a way that suggested that she was still made at him for it.

Even so, Grainy graced her with an answer, and this time the laughter was a little more uneasy, much like that given by someone faced with a horrendously funny but inappropriate joke. "He told me they're left at the baggage claim at the train station for their parents to pick up."

"And yet it took another month for her to realise she might be adopted. Anyway…" Garri paused again to take a sip, just dodging another glare from Cass. "Nola asked me if I would paint her. At the time I was doing some ballet paintings for a Degas fan, and the work had me swamped. So I quickly dabbed some paint on the smallest canvas I had. It took me maybe an hour including dry time, but it didn't matter to her."

He nodded towards the painting in question, a square canvas more suited as a shelf ornament than a wall piece, which showed a dark haired child from the back as she wandered a studio. "I promised her I'd paint her a better portrait one day, but after the Degas woman there was a guy who wanted a landscape which required a trip to the country and, I'm ashamed to say, I forgot all about it. But I was reminded of it when my wife was looking through some photos Solin had brought home with her." Clearing his throat carefully, Garri turned his eyes back to his daughter, refusing to look away for anything. "I'm not drunk enough for this to sound anything less than cheap and corny, but twenty years ago, I got on the wrong train home, and because of that, I found what would become the most important thing in my life, and then what feels like just a short time later, I got to feel that again when Solin came into our family as well. And if I couldn't repay that fourteen years ago, at least I can now."

As he pulled the sheet away carefully, Cass helping on her side, Garri caught sight of the shadow being cast in the kitchen. Had his eyes not caught Tana's when they did, he might've said something. Instead he settled for stepping away so they could all see the painting, the perfect cover for the blonde to give a curt nod.

As she stared at the canvas, Grainy felt the room turn to look at her for her reaction, but her eyes stayed steadily forward. The photo that had been used was in an envelope upstairs, ready to be handed back to Solin when she went back to Conton City, but Grainy didn't need the date to realise what moment in time she was looking at. It had been one of the warmer days for the Time Patrol, when training was the furthest thing from all of their minds. Instead the Supreme Kai had decided to call an early weekend, and somehow everyone had the same idea of having a picnic. Trunks and Grainy had spent the day with Solin's team in the bamboo forest, and camera in hand, Solin had made the most of the day.

The last photo had been taken by Dailli, and was among the better ones, or at least it was one of the few that showed all three of them, leaning against the same, thick stem of bamboo. He'd snapped the picture just as Grainy had looked up from her book, catching her expression before she was able to pull a stupid face or say cheese. To her left, Trunks was unaware of the camera, preferring to tend to his sword, while to her right, Solin was all but lying down, one arm thrown carelessly across her eyes to keep the sun out. All three of them were perfectly at ease with each other, a foreshadowing of the partnership to come.

"It's perfect." Grainy finally whispered. She examined every careful brush stroke, focusing on the ones that made up her partner. Somehow her dad had caught the cautious air Trunks usually projected, the readiness to react at a moment's notice if he had to, and seeing it in oil made it easier for Grainy to imagine him beside her, if only for a second.

Somebody nudged Solin in the side, her head turning to see Chess wearing a face that just hinged on concern. She didn't want to disrupt the reverie that held her friend, even as the moment passed and she started the business of thanking her parents, declaring once more that it was perfect. Guessing the obvious question, Solin dropped her voice down a few tones, "Her partner."

"Couldn't he make it tonight?" Alma queried, somehow missing the look that was sent between Tana and Rai. There was no chance for Solin to come up with an excuse that wouldn't result in more questions that could be overheard, because Tana cheerily asked if it was time for the cake, Rai hopping to attend to the music again at the nod.

The burst of the bubble surrounding them all gave Grainy a chance to breathe again, her father catching the tiny sound amid the chaos as everyone moved around again, starting a search for Cass' camera that she'd put down at some point. "Nola?"

"I love it Dad, really. I was just…surprised."

"Yeah, Solin warned me it might be a bit overwhelming. Still, at least nobody's talking about my speech." Looking at the canvas again to try and figure out what had caused the reaction, Garri settled for humming as he pulled his glasses off for a clean. "I'll take it to the framer tomorrow. Want to come along?"

"Sounds like a good idea." Giving a final look towards the painting, this time taking in the whole thing, Grainy let out another soft sigh, "That might never happen again." She mused, unaware that she'd spoken aloud until she noticed her dad looking at her funnily.

"Nola, is everything-"

"Found it!" Cass declared, extracting the camera by its cord from between the tray of pizza and the dressing selection. Distracted for a few seconds while she dispensed orders, Garri soon looked back at Grainy, only to see a false smile in place, his daughter back to the creature she had been at the start of the week.

Deciding that the easy route was for suckers, Cass had taken the time to spread twenty one candles around the cake evenly rather than settling for the simple number candles. The result was a careful operation to get all of them lit before a stray breath snuffed them, or they set fire to Grainy as she held it out. Pulling away with the type of caution usually reserved for ninja operations, Cass tucked her lighter back in her pocket before levelling the camera at the scene. "Make a wish, darling."

While her sister closed her eyes against the glow of the candles as she pretended to think, Solin noticed more than a few eyes go to the doorway, those not in the know deciding to trust the somewhat evil grins beginning to cross her and Tana's faces.

All things considered, it had been startlingly easy to manage. Granted had Tana not agreed to the scheme it might've been a little trickier to manage, but planning for unexpected development was mission control's job, not the fighter's. All it had taken was the earpieces Grainy had left in the Time Nest, and the cooperation of one very forgiving Kai. The fact that the entire ruse would've been up had Grainy thought to sense for other ki signatures was not lost on Solin, but again, that was for mission control to worry about. Add in the perfect opportunity to get Grainy with her back to the door and a camera, and you got a moment that would probably make memories, whether you wanted it to or not.

The newcomer hovered awkwardly as Grainy took a deep breath and blew out the candles, turning the cake this way and that before sucking in another lungful to catch the last few. Cass timed her shot perfectly, her grin widening at the preview before it vanished again. "What did you wish for?"

"She's not supposed to tell, remember?" Alma reminded, though she clearly wanted to ask the same.

"She will if she wants it to come true, magical dragons like it when you're specific." Solin's eyes glittered when only Grainy laughed, "But I bet I can guess what it is anyway."

"Oh really? Just try."

"Is that an open invitation?"

The slight twitch of a finger sent another flash through the room, a move that would earn Cass the undying appreciation of all those present who would later flick through the photo albums to find the particular moment that the sheepish voice registered in Grainy's mind fully, the automatic laughter stopping with a short gasp of air. Rai made an executive decision, and just managed to grab the cake before the grip on it failed, getting it a safe distance away before she shook her head in disbelief.

 _That isn't him. You just wish it was._ She winced when the voice finally got through the barrier she'd held all night. Without warning, her attention moved from her initial goal of getting through the party to letting her sixth sense return, her ki easily detecting the strong glows that were both in front and behind her.

Stepping forward with a nervous swallow, Trunks tried not to let the eyes on him make an impact, and set a careful hand on her shoulder. The contact made her flinch out of her focus, her eyes flying open as she whirled round. The sudden movement gave Trunks his own reason to wince, expecting her to follow it up with a blow like you usually got if you crept up on a tense Grainy. But her fist stayed firmly at her side, still curled in case she needed it, but safely out of range.

It would've been impossible to ignore the group now behind her, but uncharacteristically frozen, Grainy could do little more than stare, Solin's words going somewhat over her head as her sister realised that her scheme was going a little off the rails. "I said there was a bit more than a whip round for a box of chocolates. Like maybe most of the Patrol asking for their commanders back, or the boss realising that no decision could be made when both her top people would refuse to follow orders." With a dry swallow of her own that made her wonder if the 'spare' crate had anything left, Solin finished up, just as her sister was able to tune back into reality, "Bit of an dick move making you wait, I guess."

"Little bit." Grainy finally produced.

With two sets of maternal instincts in operation, it was surprising that Cass and Alma took as long as they did to realise some privacy was in order. Staring at the cake Rai was still holding out helplessly, and then at the knife she'd brought in to cut the thing, she made a quick decision, facing the rest of them with her court expression, "You know, I think it'd be easier to cut this in the kitchen. Who wants a slice?"

"Ooh please!"

"Sounds good to me!"

"And while we're at it," Solin didn't have a chance to dodge the fingers that suddenly clamped around her ear, the height difference between her and Cass doing nothing to ease her discomfort. Tana had a split second longer to react, but soon she too had been grabbed, the pair of them forced to move or risk losing half their sense of hearing, "You pair can tell us the whole story."

"I want a lawyer!"

"I am a lawyer."

The door closed on Tana's reply to that, Garri giving Trunks a quick once over before he too left them alone. The serving hatch closed for the first time in years, cutting off the first syllables of Solin's first attempt at an excuse.

The partners spent a while just looking at each other, before Grainy finally pulled away, moving to pick at the leftover food, her fist uncurling at last, "I won't ask if it's really you, because I know it doesn't work like that."

"You're scared I'm not the same Trunks. Solin said as much."

"Solin has a big mouth." Even so, Grainy didn't deny his claim, merely shoved one of the platters his way, "You liked these when I made them for the picnic."

"Yeah, I did." Trunk took one of the mini tacos in hand, holding it before looking across at her again. "I…I'm sorry Grainy. I didn't know you were on suspension until Solin came to tell me."

"Will people stop using that word!" The hatch fell open again, Solin glaring into the room and paying no attention to the peeved looks around her. "Paid leave. _Paid leave!"_

A hand quickly yanked her away, another pulling the small door closed again with a final tug, but the damage had been done. Without a word, Grainy abandoned all pretences and stormed across to the back door, unlocking it with a swift turn, scowling and muttering darkly about eavesdroppers the whole time. "Not even big ears can hear us out here."

It wasn't overly cold outside, but the short sleeves on her dress made Grainy waste a few seconds to rub her arms up and down while Trunks closed the door behind them. He gave the garden a quick look around, even though he knew there was no way they had been followed outside. The distraction made it easier to cope with the difficulty of starting again, but Grainy seemed content to carry one like they hadn't been interrupted. "I'm not mad. Not about the suspension, not even about the knockout. Hell, I probably should've seen that coming."

"Grainy-"

"Let me finish." Taking a decidedly shaky breath that she didn't know she needed, Grainy pulled away from the railing, fixing him with those damn eyes. "You and Solin assume that I would've charged in after maybe a second. And while a lot of the typical saiyan attitude goes over my head, I understand the concept of a personal fight. I would've waited for you to call. Instead you didn't trust me enough to give me the chance. And for the last week, I have been so scared that knocking me out would count against you, because people only see what they want to, and then you just turn up here like nothing's happened and…" Her eyes clamped closed because she was not going to be that girl in the movies. She was not going to spend their short amount of time here crying.

Arms wrapped around her from out of nowhere, Trunks pulling her close just as the first sniff cut through the air. His hands were kept between her shoulder blades in a silent promise, his forehead resting against hers in an attempt at comfort. "There aren't many people I've been able to rely on, and you're wrong if you think you're not one of them, Grainy." He said in the steadiest tone he could mange, feeling her head shift underneath her chin, "But I should've known that you'd leave me to it. In the same way, you should've known I couldn't let you put yourself at risk by helping me. That's what I was scared of, not losing the battle to the androids."

He felt her own arms wind around him tightly, pulling him closer as if trying to reassure herself that he was real. If he was being honest with himself, he was a split second from doing the same. He settled for moving one of his hands to the back of her head, bypassing her neck entirely. Her hair whispered under his fingers, something that registered in the singular part of him brain that wasn't telling him to hold on and never let go.

All too soon, Grainy was pulling away from him though, fixing the eyes that he simultaneously cursed and praised onto his own before they closed, her feet moving to rest on the toes as she tried to make up that extra inch. It was a wasted effort though, for Trunks was already leaning forwards slightly, the pair meeting in the middle with a slight brush of noses that made both smile slightly before they continued.

* * *

In a dimension that existed solely for a feathered deity, a single scroll was spread across the table, the lone watcher rolling it back up again carefully. Hopeless romantic that she was, Chronoa understood that there were some moments meant to be private. Besides, there were other things that required her attention right now.

Stomping out the betting pool Solin had left Dailli to run in her absence sounded like a good place to start.


	4. Betting Pool

_After the tournament with Universe 6, the Elite Unit indulges in some harmless betting._

* * *

"Alright I want a good clean game everyone. No flying, fighting, limb stretching, transforming or sudden flares of power. I'm not wearing this because it's fashionable. Got that?" A terse nod from both sides, and the referee was ordering the captains to shake hands, backing out of the huddle as they did.

"Twenty zeni says we don't get past the first inning without someone getting benched."

"I'll see your twenty, but I say second inning. Blue team's captain is a real stickler for the rules." Considering this, Solin quickly held her own hand out to be shaken, Dailli scribbling in the book lying open in his lap a second later. It was a fresh one, its predecessor having been confiscated by the boss. the week before, but he was already more than a few pages in. Every office had its betting pool, and When your office was literally the size of a city, you were looking more at a lake than a pool. "By the way, I meant to give you this earlier."

Turning her head away from the coin flip, Solin blinked at the folded sheet of paper her friend was holding out. Opening it revealed several one or two word scrawls in Dailli's handwriting, though it was easy to see what connected them altogether. "People are seriously betting on this?"

"Half of it's the usual punters looking for bragging rights, yeah, but a couple are actual ideas people were having. Since you and the bosses have been holed in the Nest they were handing them to me."

"You don't call me one of the bosses." Solin pouted, her eyes roving over the various ideas anyway. They all looked to be legitimate ideas, hell, some of them even looked possible. "I'll give this to Trunks and Grainy later. They'll be able to cross some of- Who the hell said Demigra!?"

Ignoring her in favour of watching the first few pitches, Dailli caught sight of the Supreme Kai of Time and Elder Kai on the other side of the wasteland they were using as a baseball diamond. The deities were chatting amicably with the Patrollers sitting around them, and Tokitoki was cheerfully perching on a majin's head, sharing the popcorn bag, but there was no sign of the bosses. When he said as much to Solin, she merely shrugged, folding the paper up and slipping it into her pocket. "They offered to watch the scrolls for the day. Don't forget, they're still technically on suspe- paid leave."

"So, they're in the Nest alone, with no supervision?" Dailli wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, doing it with a bit more flair when Solin turned to look at him, snorting at once. "Should I get a new bet going?"

"I doubt we'll get back to find them pinning each other against a pillar. Knowing them, they're actually getting some work done. Other than that kiss at her birthday party, they treat each other just as they always have."

"Which probably says more than you think." Dailli advised.

A sharp whistle pulled them back into the game, the referee storming onto the diamond to point at one of the players in red before gesturing furiously at the team benches. Without so much as a glance at each other, Dailli pulled his wallet out, placing twenty zeni in Solin's waiting hand.

* * *

A few hours later, Solin ran into the Nest long enough to slap a piece of paper on Trunks' workbench before running out again, having promised to help Dailli distribute the day's winnings. Letting her magazine fall flat onto her lap, Grainy reached to take it, making her hand check her mug on the way back. Finding it empty, she glanced into Trunks' as well, her partner looking up from his repair work to see what she was doing. He got the unspoken hint at once, pushing the soldering to one side and taking his work gloves off. "Three or five?"

"Just three this time. Any more and I'll be up all night." Flashing him a quick smile as he picked her mug up and took it to the other side of the garage where the coffee pot was, Grainy gave the sheet a quick scan, humming as she looked over its contents.

"Anything important?"

"Just some ideas as to what's causing the new disturbances." Grainy's eyes went a little bit further before widening in slight amusement, "Seems like some people don't think Demigra's defeated."

"Really?" Trunks finished adding in Grainy's sugar, passing her mug over before retaking his seat. She turned the paper so he could see it too, the demi-saiyan snorting when he got to the same point she had. "I'd pay to see Solin fighting him."

"So would I. Still, whoever it is could have a point. Even if it is this Goku Black that's been tearing up the PQs lately, none of the Patrollers have reported an ability to inject others with power." Nodding at her point, Trunks continued to read, freezing at one of the more hesitant looking scrawls, the letters shaped like whoever had written it really hadn't wanted to.

Grainy caught up a second lately, her fist clenching up around the paper and crumpling it up. The possibility wasn't one they hadn't already thought of, but if Trunks saving Gohan was what was causing this fresh batch of problems, that was years down the line from his little interference, and with the timeline seeming to go with very little alteration, other than the younger Trunks having his teacher, there should've been a difference before now…

Right?

Trunks carefully extracted the paper from her fingers, laying it flat on his workbench before smoothing out the crumples. "We should give this to the Supreme Kai and see what she thinks. Personally, I'm leaning towards wormholes, like it was last time. You?"

Giving him a measured look, Grainy let her frown shift into a grimace that, given time, could become a smile. She gave the list another look over, bypassing that line entirely before pointing to one, "Old henchman. Towa can't have succeeded first time, not if Dr Gero's anything to go by."

Trunks thought it over before shaking his head, "Nah, I'll stick with wormholes. You can't beat the classics."

"We'll see." Grainy smirked, grabbing for her coffee mug before picking her magazine back up. Giving it a quick flick to straighten the page out, she found where she had been before the interruption, stopping only to glance his way before he started work again, "With any luck, we won't be waiting long."


	5. After The Storm

_It's been an eventful day for the Elite Unit. Horrors have been faced, their home once again threatened, and alliances further cemented. And now, at the close of this latest adventure, there's only one thing that remains for them to do...Eat dinner, of course!_

* * *

The Supreme Kai of Time's dining room was thick with the smell of chicken stir fry and rice, complemented by the undertones of strawberry and apple that only Trunks and Gnocchi were really able to pick out. The latter preferred focusing on the generous helping of chicken that had been slipped into his food bowl in return for not hunting Tokitoki around the Time Nest, while the former was helping carry the food through, the source of the strawberry smell occasionally glancing behind her as if making sure he was still there.

While they had been busy in the kitchen, the Kais had offered to set the table while Solin was taking her turn in the shower. Now dishes were being shifted around to accommodate the pans, Elder Kai hastily rescuing the water jug when it looked to be in peril, Solin snatching up the serving spoon and holding it at the ready. She managed to restrain herself until Grainy and Trunks had taken their seats as well before carefully shovelling a sizable mound of rice onto her plate, topping it carefully with the meat and vegetables before passing the spoon on.

"You know, if it always got us food like this, I wouldn't mind dealing with the possible end of the universe every day." She reported, tucking in with gusto.

Glad to see some appreciation for her cooking, Grainy laced her fingers together and rested her head on them, waiting for the spoon to come around. That last fight had taken it out of her in a way she hadn't felt in some time, and she'd been pulled away halfway through it. If _her_ muscles were crying in happiness now that it was over, it was no wonder that Solin had swallowed half a senzu bean before doing anything.

That being said, there was something that Solin seemed to be forgetting now that the rush was over,

"Are you sure you could deal with it every day? You looked pretty scared when Black and Zamasu fused."

"That dear sister is called sanity."

Grainy flashed a quick 'whatever you say' smile as she heaped her plate high, mixing it carefully and loading her fork up.

"As much as I share you thoughts on the food Solin, I think I could do without a scare like that for some time." Elder Kai mused. "I thought we'd just about had it when he appeared inside the Vault!"

"Aw relax, old man, everything was under control." As always the Supreme Kai of Time was happy to be unfazed by the day's events, preferring to focus on the here and now, that being making sure her agents didn't forget to eat something more substantial than a senzu.

Handing the water jug over when Solin gestured to it, her cheeks filled to chipmunk proportions and visibly straining with the stretch, Trunks looked towards his boss, "I meant to ask, how did you guys beat Zamasu? I thought he was immortal."

"He was. But when faced with the power of the Omni-King, even an immortal has about as much of a chance as this dinner does with us." The Supreme Kai took the chance to swallow, giving a semi tough glare to her fellow Kai as she did, "Of course, had _someone_ told me that Goku had lost the button right away instead of putting it off, we might not have needed to stall for time when he did pick up our trail."

"Well excuse me for not wanting to send our agents looking for it in the middle of a fight!"

"It's better to rip the bandage right off rather than let it fester!"

"What does that have to do with any of this?"

Well used to this routine by now, the trio of fighters continued to eat, letting the argument wash over them until there was a lull in the insult flinging that Grainy quickly stepped into, "It might not have made much difference. I must've looked at that button hundreds of times before actually picking it up."

"Exactly." Elder Kai nodded, clearly thinking that she was taking his side in the matter.

Spotting the Supreme Kai go to deliver a retort, Trunks hastily cobbled a point together, firing it before she could, "It might be worth strengthening the wards around the Time Nest just to be on the safe side. He's what, the third person to get in?"

"Fourth if you count Demigra." Solin reminded, having finally cleared her mouth.

"And more if you count the city limits."

"I'll see to them tomorrow." Chronoa nodded, tone indicating it was time for the subject to close. Whether that was due to losing the argument (or it ending before she could deliver her best insults) or remembering the rule about discussing work at the table, a rule that had been made two years ago and had been systematically broken for the next two years, it was hard to tell.

Taking the hint, Elder Kai changed the subject by asking Grainy and Trunks what they had planned for dessert. Before either of them could say a word, the Supreme Kai lit up with a smile, "Oh, they didn't make dessert, I did!"

"Right," Solin began slowly once everyone had cleared their plate and the pans in a desperate attempt to leave no room for dessert, and Chronoa had gone out into the kitchen to get it, "I just want to remind everyone of today's mission and the fact that I took the fall with the brownies. That said, not it."

"That's hardly the most matu-"

"Not it."

"Not it!"

"Now just hold on a second!" Elder Kai glared at the pair sitting opposite him. "What happened to unity within the ranks?"

Grainy and Trunks put as much sympathy and apology as they could into their expressions, staring past him at the smoke beginning to creep in from the kitchen. Sometimes the best perks of the training they put themselves through only appeared when it was a case of life and death, a fact that only proved itself clearer as the guardian of all time appeared in the doorway with what looked like a campfire on a platter.

Staring at it in abject horror, Solin began to count herself lucky that the brownies had at least been easy to eat, while Elder Kai gave a quiet whimper at his ever approaching fate.

"Well, what do you think?" The Supreme Kai asked cheerfully, ignorant to the cat and bird making a break for the door behind her, survival instincts kicking in. Those at the table had far better self control, Trunks only hesitating for a minute before asking what it was.

Listening to the explanation as to where she'd gotten the recipe and how she'd been sneaking into the kitchen at every opportunity to make sure the surprise hadn't been discovered, something Grainy would've thought was quite obvious, the brunette made a quiet mental note to suggest that the next time the Supreme Kai attempt a baked Alaska, she should set it on fire with alcohol, not the highest setting on the oven.

Then again, the effectiveness of that advice depended on how soon it was before they next let their guard down, and how the actual dessert turned out. Personally, she didn't want to find out on either count.

* * *

"He's the closest thing we've got to an immortal, he'll be fine." Solin assured when they were back at the flat, and she was selecting that night's movie. Her sister didn't look completely convinced, but there was little either of them could do for the elderly Kai at this stage. Grainy had handed him her senzu bean in case the worst happened, and Trunks had stayed behind to dispose of the remaining pudding.

They were expecting a visit from Beerus and Whis for a training review, and the last thing they needed was that getting slipped in with the God's lunch.

Grainy gave a quiet hum, but by then Solin had picked a film out and was setting everything up, her mind already on another subject, "Besides, much as I hate having to do that to him, I've got my own problems, namely that treacherous bastard Dailli."

"Lost a bet?"

"I wish it was that simple." Blowing her hair out of her face as she flung herself back into the sofa, Solin chewed on her lip as the trailers played, "Not only do I owe him fifty zeni because I had Black and Zamasu pegged as the cause of what happened at the tournament, but I went for a forfeit bet as well. So guess who gets to go to work as 'Saiyanoob' for the next week?"

"Ouch. Need any help finding your costume?"

"Nah, I never did get round to burning it." There was a lingering quality to the end of the sentence, one that Grainy chose not to pick up on. They had long since moved past those early days, when any information had to be pried out of the younger with a crowbar, but Solin still hesitated sometimes when it came to sharing. But she always came round in the end, and usually before there were any consequences to keeping the secret.

The credits were rolling before Solin finally unbuttoned her lips, slipping from the sofa to sort the DVD out, keeping her eyes on the case she could barely see in the dim shadows of the early morning. "I found her." She released the words into the silent flat, not waiting for an answer before she spoke again, "I was thinking about going to meet her some time and Dailli said I should tell you even if you don't want anything to do with her." And good green God on the Lookout had Grainy made that clear on more than one occasion. Solin closed the case with a snap, turning with the sound.

Grainy was seated in the best position to see both the TV and the flat door, so there was no way she could've missed Solin sat cross legged on the floor. That is, no way unless one counted the possibility of the day's hard work and the warm meal finally lulling the hero to sleep less than halfway through the film. There was always the possibility of her taking in Solin's words subconsciously, but Grainy always had been the heavier sleeper of the two.

Sighing in relief, Solin slipped the film back into its place on the shelf before gently shaking her sister awake, suggesting that the bed might be a more comfortable place to sleep. The idea got little more than a tired mumble, but before long her sister was on her feet again, pulling her sister close for a final hug before lumbering off to her room, nearly tripping over Gnocchi in the process.

There wasn't a person alive who could accuse Solin of not honouring her wagers. She just tended to work the wording to her advantage sometimes, and if Dailli didn't know that by now, then it was his loss.


	6. Dinner For Two

_Going on a date, that something couples do, right? And since he and his partner are a couple, they should try it once in a while. Of course, going on a date might be a bit easier if either party knew what the heck they were supposed to do._

* * *

"One, two, three, four, fiii- no it can't go there. Bollocks." Huffing slightly, Solin crossed out the scribble in the corner of the box, carrying on with her puzzle even when she heard a key turn in the lock. Her pen paused in the air when the door closed with more force than was really needed, her sister coming into view with a face like thunder, and despite herself, Solin couldn't resist a grin, "He asked you then. What'd you say?"

"I said yes," Grainy pointedly ignored the cheerful squealing her answer brought out of her sister, heading towards the coffee tin before spotting the clock and thinking better of it. "Why did you tell him to ask me out?"

"Because you need a day off from searching for the next disturbance, and because watching you pair interact is kind of depressing."

"I'm sorry?"

"You heard." Solin shuffled into a seating position, letting Grainy sit on the couch as well. "The way you pair shuffle around each other, you'd think you'd never have been on a date before." She laughed quietly, expecting a defensive reply or something along those lines. The dead silence that followed her statement had her eyes shooting up from the puzzle, her mouth dropping open as it clicked, " _No.._." Grainy shifted uncomfortably, wincing when Solin barked out a laugh, managing words a second later, "You have got to be kidding me!

"Solin-"

"Trunks I understand, but you?!"

"Boys tend to lose interest in you when they find out you can bench press more than they can." Grainy sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Sometimes there'd be someone in the club who didn't mind a bit of flirting and would buy me a drink, but it never went past that."

"Holy shit." Solin breathed. Then her features set into the same kind of determination that had seen her face down her enemies on more than one occasion. "Right. Small setback, but nothing that can't be smoothed over. First thing tomorrow, I'll find out what the plan is, and we'll go from there."

Grainy turned a grateful smile her way, one that she desperately tried to mirror. Inside, she was glad of the small distraction to take her mind away from the weekend, and the stomach churning task that lay ahead of her. God knows the Sudoku had failed in that respect.

* * *

There were times when the Supreme Kai of Time reminded you that she was a goddess. Since the last time they had gotten such a reminder had ended with the city getting destroyed and over a hundred Patrollers spending the night in the Nest, Trunks was more than a little panicked when she ordered him to leave planning the date to her and Solin. But, and he admitted this to himself with an uneasy nod, sometimes it was best to just let her have free rein.

Through a mixture of pleading and generally throwing her weight around, Chronoa had managed to get them a table in the corner for two. It wasn't completely secluded, but was tucked away enough to be private, something he noticed with relief.

He arrived earlier than expected, and spent the extra time trying to control the knotting in his stomach. What he couldn't understand was why he was feeling so nervous in the first place. It wasn't like this was the first time he and Grainy had been out without the others, and if the small conversations he overheard about who owed who money were anything to go by, the entire Patrol knew about what had gone on at Grainy's birthday party.

It was probably the setting, Trunks eventually settled on, looking round the restaurant a little. He and Grainy had enjoyed plenty of lunch dates in the café, where the atmosphere was more relaxed. Being in the restaurant was…it was new.

He was nodding, pleased with this conclusion when Grainy entered, glancing about before her eyes snapped in his direction, reacting to the slight rise of his power level. Her shoulders dropped from their tense position as she wove her way over to him, becoming more confident as she got closer. More than a few eyes followed her, a couple of people speaking behind their hands. Well, if there were any unresolved bets regarding their relationship, tonight had cleared them up.

Grainy gave her lips a nervous lick when she got to the table at long last, and Trunks stood to greet her, looking about as awkward as she felt. "You look nice."

"Thank you. So do you." Grainy looked as she usually did when she felt like making the effort to look nice (and it made him feel a little light that she though he was worth it) but he'd been talked into a shirt and tie, and felt the knot every time he swallowed.

Grainy took a deep breath and sat when Trunks waved at the empty seat opposite him, looking around as she did, admiring the decorations. "Have you eaten here before?"

Trunks grabbed onto her offer of conversation like a drowning man, shaking his head perhaps a little too quickly, "No, I usually stuck to the café. I'm guessing you…"

"Café."

Attention then went to the menu, both sharing a smirk at the section set aside for sharing dishes that were also advertised as being big enough for a single saiyan. Eventually the waiter made his rounds, taking their order and going for drinks before leaving them alone. "Tandoori seems a bit mild for you."

"Because of the spices I put into everything else you mean?" Grainy asked, but not in a defensive way, "Strange as it sound, I can't stand hot curries."

"I wouldn't say it was strange. It's like you and sugar. I've never seen you go overboard for sweets, but your coffee…" He trailed off when she laughed, getting his point.

From there, things got a little easier, the easy atmosphere they usually felt with each other returning. Even when the waiter arrived, reminding them of where they were, conversation lulled only for a quick moment before starting up again. When Grainy expressed interest in the sauce Trunks' fish was covered in, he cut a piece off and carefully transferred it to her plate, in exchange for a little of her curry. It was clear who got the better end of that deal though, and Trunks found himself trying not to choke on his food laughing at the face Grainy pulled before grabbing her drink and draining half of it.

After washing the horrific sweetness out of her mouth, Grainy hesitated before picking her fork up. It was a nice little distraction Solin had rigged up this time around, but she couldn't help but think that she was the only one who knew that's what it was. And thinking about it in those terms turned her stomach harder and harder as the meal went on.

Somehow the conversation did steer around to Solin, when it turned out she'd opened a tab with the restaurant when making the reservations. "I'll say this much, she does think of everything." Trunks complimented, pulling his jacket on. Grainy nodded, pulling her hair out of her coat. "Except for one thing, I mean."

"Sorry?"

Trunks held his hand out to her, leading the way back through the maze of tables. They thanked the staff members they passed and stepped out into the cool Conton City night. "Solin is many things, but she's not subtle. She told me she was going to see some old friends over the weekend, but she hesitated."

"Dailli told me the truth." Grainy explained, wrapping her coat a little tighter around herself. "The night we beat Zamasu and Black, she told me she'd lost a bet. It turned out that the costume was her contribution to the bet. Dailli wanted her to tell me that she'd found our biological parents."

"Ah." Trunks nodded, saying nothing else.

"Yeah. I guess the last time we spoke about it; I made her think she couldn't talk to me about it." Neither of them noticed that they were in the apartment blocks, simply stepping between the doors and up the stairs without comment. "I guess she didn't want to risk me checking in on her today, and seeing where she was."

"Well, even if tonight was just a distraction, I had fun." They came to a stop at last, Grainy's front door signalling the end of their walk. "And I wouldn't mind doing it again, on our terms this time."

"I'd like that." That established, Grainy looked between the door and Trunks sheepishly, her hand coming up to play with her hair again. "I'd like that a lot."

"Then it's settled. For now, I understand there's something you're supposed to do at the end of a successful date?"

She pretended to consider it before stepping closer, "Well, I suppose tonight was a success." She barely had time to grin before he was capturing her lips, holding them for longer than usual.

For a split second, Grainy was still aware of where they were, that anybody could come out and see them, but that thought changed into a simple question: who cared? There was a small moan that had to have come from one of them, but it was difficult to tell who made the sound with all her thoughts dedicated to staying on her feet and _not stopping this._

Finally though, they had to break apart for air, moving no further than they had to. Something suddenly occurred to Grainy and she snorted, tilting her head downwards before looking at him with the same emotion that had taken over him from head to toe, "That was the first time we've kissed where I wasn't crying."

"But not the last time?" Trunks whispered.

"No, not the last." He only just had time to grin before closing his eyes, only to be stopped by a finger on his lips. When he opened his eyes again, Grainy was still wearing that smile, a heavy blush accompanying her words. "How about we go inside?"

* * *

They slept through the phone ringing, neither giving much reaction other than a slight groan before shuffling closer to each other, tightening their holds. Trunks did open his eyes briefly, but by then the phone had shut up and the message had finished. His eyes took in Grainy's peaceful face just inches away, and after allowing himself a short smile, he went back to sleep.

It was about two hours later that Grainy noticed the flashing lights, pausing the conversation about getting breakfast at the café to hit play, her good mood vanishing as her mother's voice filled the flat, her plans for the weekend evaporating into smoke.

 _"Nola, it's your mother. We need you back here now. Solin went out last night and hasn't come back yet. I've tried her phone and I'll keep trying once I finish this message, but she's not answering. Tana and Rai are out looking but so far they haven't found anything helpful. We need you to do that sensing thing you do. Please come as soon as you get this…"_


	7. Sending Out Flares

The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.

Family isn't always about blood. It's about the people who want you in their lives, who support you, and who worry about you, even when you think you don't need them to. It's about the people who at the first sign you're in trouble, call for help, and who, at the first sign you're safe, rush to be with you. Sometimes you can trust that those people share your blood, sometimes you can't.

* * *

She was swimming in the vast sea that was the energy of everything on the planet, letting it lift her up and down again, gentle as a wave as she strained to find the right fire. Her exploration took her from one coast to the other and back again, stopping at every one slightly higher than the others, before gently nudging it to the side and carrying on. She found the old masters that would train the next generation, edging around them cautiously, and by stretching even further, she just barely brushed the realm of the gods, until with a loud sigh, Grainy opened her eyes.

Taking a second to centre herself again, she turned from the window, shaking her head at everyone's hopeful expressions. Tana and Rai slumped back into the sofa cushions, while Cass buried her head in her hands. Not even Garri was able to carry on his objections to Trunks' presence, even when the demi-saiyan finished his own, equally unsuccessful search and frowned to himself. "You can't…Nothing at all?" Grainy's father asked her.

"No, but that could still mean a lot of things." Trunks started to explain, but his voice reminded Garri he was there, and anything else he might've said got silenced by a fierce glare, leaving Grainy to pick up where he left off.

"If Solin doesn't want to be found, she might've just lowered her energy so we wouldn't pick up on her signature." She shrugged, moving to perch on the sofa's arm, "That would explain why she wasn't answering her phone at least." From her new seat, she was able to see her father's expression better, and despite the sombre mood, rolled her eyes, "Dad, now is really not the time."

 _"Por que ele está aqui mesmo?"_ Garri demanded, stopping just short of actually pointing at Trunks. _"Ele não fez o suficiente?"_

 _"Ele também está preocupado com Solin. Agora, deixe-o em paz."_

 _"Por que eu deveria parar? Ele não pode me entender. Por tudo o que sabe, eu poderia estar dando minha benção, mesmo que ele seja um batedor de merda!_ _"_

Out of the corner of her eye, Grainy saw the questioning look Trunks sent towards the pair on the couch, and how the curiosity turned to worry when Tana just waved tiredly and shut her eyes, indicating it was best to let them argue. _"Por Deus, papai, Solin estava bêbado e perdeu a maioria dos detalhes. De qualquer forma, o fato de que você trocou de idioma provavelmente o clamou porque não está sendo muito legal "._

 _"Desculpe-me, qual parte do seu ataque significa que eu tenho que ser legal?"_

 _"A parte em que você não conhece toda a história como eu acabei de dizer!"_ Grainy snapped.

 _"Basta, vocês dois!"_ The room went deadly silent, Rai and Tana even sitting up as all heads turned to Cass as she took several deep breaths before speaking again in a much calmer, but no less dangerous tone, "Nola, are you sure Solin didn't say where she was going?"

Grainy fought the urge to wince, looking at her lap instead. "I know who she went to see, but not where they live, or where she was meeting them." The wording made Cass frown slightly, but Grainy was looking at Rai and Tana before her mother could question her, "You said you checked her usual haunts?"

"Checked the bars, asked in at the clubs, went round the shops," Rai ticked off each one on his fingers, "Chess has headed to West City to check there, said she'd phone if anything happened." Right on cue, a burst of pop music suddenly came from underneath Tana, the blonde wriggling until her phone was in her hand, "Speak of the devil."

"Ah, think again." Tana hummed with a raised eyebrow, "It's Solin." When Grainy stretched her hand out for the phone, Tana pulled it away slightly, "Let me, alright? I'm probably easier for her to talk to right now." The song carried on, edging closer to the end before repeating itself. Slowly, Grainy pulled her hand back.

Accepting the call, Tana quickly pressed the phone to her ear, blinking rapidly before her voice came out in a tired drawl edged with what anybody would recognise as a hangover, "'ello?...Solin do you know what time it-It's never!" She pulled the phone away with a wink, pretending to look at the screen before picking the act back up, "Alright, alright. No, no don't worry, I should've been up hours ago. Look, I've got a pounding headache, what do you need?"

A tap on Grainy's elbow made her turn slightly, her teeth pulling on her lip when Cass indicated towards the hallway. With a quick look at Trunks, who looked just as uncomfortable as she did, she followed her mother out of the room, closing the door on Tana's acting. Holding the wood until she heard the soft click, Grainy finally breathed out. Her relief was short lived. "What aren't you telling me?" Cass ordered, "Your wording gave you away. You would've said she'd been to see her friends or named names. Instead you just said you knew _who_ she had been to see."

"Mom, it's not important."

"It is. You pair might not live under this roof any more, but I still worry about you both."

And that, Grainy mentally groaned, was the precise reason she didn't want to say. The precise reason that the last time Solin tried to get her interested in the search, she had snapped. "She's found our biological mother." There was no way she could sugar coat or cover it. It didn't make it easier to admit.

"Oh." It was all Cass said, the sternness in her eyes vanishing. Under Grainy's sorry gaze she seemed to shrink slightly, before she struggled for a smile, "I though she seemed excited yesterday. She had the same glint in her eyes that you did when you first told us about Solin. Why didn't she say?"

"The last time she tried to speak to me about it, I got mad." Grainy admitted, running a hand through her hair, "I told her she didn't owe them anything. We have each other, we have you and Dad, and we have our friends. We don't need people who couldn't be bothered with us when we were babies." She shook her head, hearing the words again, thrown at her little sister in a moment of exasperation that she now wished she could take back. "She didn't talk to me about it afterwards."

Silence hovered between them then, before Cass took a step back, humming quietly as she stared at her confused daughter. "You once gave a boy a bloody nose because he implied you had been abandoned by your real parents…"

" _You're_ my real parents."

"But when we told you the truth, all you gave your blood family was your indifference. It didn't matter to you. And yet when you found out about Solin, you were the happiest I've ever seen you, and that indifference has changed to anger." Grainy scowled and turned away from the scrutiny slightly, ignoring the triumphant look the move earnt. "It's your wording again, Nola. ' _She_ didn't owe them anything. Not we."

Cass's cross examination was cut short by the door opening suddenly, Tana and Rai piling out with Trunks close behind, all three pulling on jackets. "Got her to tell me where she is. I told her to give me time to wake Rai up," Tana quickly slapped Rai's arm, grinning widely, "Consider yourself woken. You coming Grainy?"

Giving her mother a quick look, Grainy nodded before looking at Trunks who shook his head, "I promised the Supreme Kai I'd let her know if we found her."

"Alright. I'll see you when we get back." Pressing a quick kiss to his cheek, despite the strangled noise that came from her father, Grainy fell into place behind her friends, pausing slightly in the doorway. She soon thought better of what she was about to say though, simply folding herself into the seat behind Tana, and buckling her seat belt.

"Let's go, sooner we get there, the sooner I can strangle her for the vanishing act." Tana said grimly, for once devoid of humour.

* * *

Swan shaped boats floated on the lake's surface, bobbing slightly as their passengers pedalled hard. Young couples on dates, sharing the burden and laughing as they went in circles. Older couples who had done this before, and were working in perfect tandem. But it was the third category Solin was staring at, the lone parent with a child, doing the work of two and letting the little one gaze about in wonder.

She wondered if she'd ever been here before, parcelled neatly in a blanket and pushed around. Maybe it had been one of those double pushchairs, with a seat for Grainy to sit in as well, to make life easier. Had there always been boats on this lake, or were there once ducks that they'd save bread for, torn into pieces that would make the poor birds choke unless they were asked to tear it again? She waited for the faint twinge of memory, the slight subconscious pull that told her this place registered in some small part of her mind.

She was still waiting when the bench she was on creaked quietly, protesting the extra weight Grainy was making it take. Perhaps the boats were not so new then, if the furniture was this old. "I thought I felt you earlier."

"Mom called me."

"I felt Trunks too. Did the date go that well?" Her teasing tone was a pathetic shadow of itself, but Grainy still turned and tapped the side of her nose with a smile. "I didn't mean to make your parents worry that much. I just sort of tuned the phone out after a while."

Her sister nodded like she understood (and if half the stories Tana had told her about the nightclubs were true, she probably did), before looking back towards the boats. One couple in particular were having trouble, not just going in circles but wobbling from side to side as they tried to figure out the rhythm. They both watched with anticipation, waiting to see if it would finally tip, but at the critical moment, one of them realised what was happening and held out a hand, their partner stopping the frantic peddling at once.

"Dailli told me the truth." Grainy finally said once the show was over.

"I kind of guessed. Figured you'd be reading me the riot act by now otherwise."

"Do I look like I know the riot act?" Despite herself, Solin smirked, ducking her head to let her hair hide her expression. After a second, it faded again, just as Grainy spoke, "I'm sorry."

"What for? We can't help who our parents are."

"No, but I shouldn't have said what I did, or at least offered to go with you when Dailli told me." Grainy trailed off, letting her voice soften again, "Do you…Do you want to talk about it?"

It was a long time before Solin answered, time she used to think. She thought of the little boy that had answered the door to her, and how her heart nearly gave out, only for him to call for her mother by name, before slouching off without any interest in his stepsister. She thought of the agonising seconds it took for her mother to appear in the hallway, only for her face to be more familiar than she'd ever thought it could be, bar how easily it turned to a frown upon seeing her.

She looked at her sister, waiting patiently for her response, and was suddenly at that doorway again, explaining who she was, realising as the seconds passed what a fool she'd been, a message hammered home when the one person she'd spent the last few years searching for looked her squarely in the eyes, and told her to leave, and not come back.

After that, the memories became a little hazier, until she was at the lake, listening to the last of several voice mails, before finally realising where she should be, and dialling a number at last.

"Later. Right now, I just want to get back home, and get some sleep."

"Sounds good to me." Pushing onto her feet again, Grainy dusted the flakes of paint off her clothes before holding out a hand, "House, or flat?"

"Would it be greedy to say both?" Letting herself be pulled upwards, Solin went to start walking but swayed slightly, exhaustion hitting her like a truck. When the dizzy spell passed, she looked down, blinking to see how Grainy had tightened her grip, holding her upwards without being noticed. "Do you always have to be right?" She asked, meaning it in more ways than one.

Grainy just tilted her head in fake confusion, before releasing her grip on Solin's hand. Instead she wrapped an arm around her sister, leading her back to the car. _Do I always have to be right? Only when I wish I wasn't._

* * *

Translation for the butchered Portuguese that I really shouldn't have trusted Google Translate with:

Garri:"Why is he here?" and "Hasn't he done enough?"

Grainy: "He's worried about Solin, too. Now leave him alone."

Garri: "Why should I stop? He can't understand me, for all he knows, I could be giving my blessing, even if he's a fucking woman beater!"

Grainy: "For God's sake Dad, Solin was drunk and missed most of the details. Anyway, the fact that you switched languages has probably clued him in that you're not being very nice."

Garri: "Excuse me, what part of him hitting you means I have to be nice?"

Grainy: "The part where you don't know the whole story like I just said!"

Cass: "Enough, you two!"


	8. What If

_What If..._

 _A little pillow talk on a lazy morning._

* * *

"Do you ever wonder what might've happened if we met like normal people?"

"We can fly, and shoot laser beams. I think normal is a little out of our reach."

"That's why I'm curious. What if, instead of meeting because history was being messed with, we met in a nightclub or at a bar? No androids, no time travel, just two people enjoying the weekend."

"Well, for starters I'm technically fifty years older than you, but hey, if you think I could still have a night on the town when I'm in my seventies, I'm not complaining."

"You know what I mean. How would I get you to notice me?"

"Buying a drink always works. But then you'd have to be either very interesting or very funny, to keep my attention."

"Alright. I'd ask about your interests, and when you mention fighting, I'd latch onto it, and compare techniques with you."

"Ah, that's assuming I say I like fighting. I wouldn't want to scare you off."

"What about books?"

"Always a safe topic. So then I'd ask you to dance with me, and you'd say…"

"No. I've never danced in my life, and I don't want to spoil the good impression I've managed."

"So I'd say, that's alright. Next round's on me."

"And when that round was finished, I'd ask if you'd like to meet again some time."

"Rather than trying to take me back to your place? What a gentleman."

"Ah, never on the first date. My mom taught me that much."

"It was Dad that told me that one. Along with several things I was to say if the man in question insisted."

"So would you? Like to meet up again, I mean?"

"That depends, Trunks."

"On?"

Grainy shuffled a little closer, slipping under his arm and snuggling into his side. It was like having a body sized hot water bottle to cuddle. "Why me?"

"I don't know." Trunks hummed, tucking some of her hair behind her ear. Only he ever saw it completely loose, and small as it was, it made him smile. "Maybe if we met up again, I'd be able to tell you."

"Mm. Maybe."

They stayed like that for a while, quietly considering this dream world, until one of them gave a quiet sigh. "We'd better get up before they send a search party in here."

"I suppose. What's on the agenda today?"


	9. Let It Snow

_Let It Snow_

 _It's coming up to Christmas in Conton City, and while Grainy's off on a mystery errand, Trunks and Solin meet up to discuss presents and play a few games of chess. As usual, it's holiday bliss._

 _Now if only it could snow..._

* * *

Even though there were at least a hundred places he could've chosen to sit, Gnocchi seemed to have no intention of moving from Solin's lap. For once though, the blonde didn't mind, merely leaning over him to set up the board. Conton City had entered its winter season a couple of weeks ago, but there had recently been a huge drop in temperature, and any source of heat was appreciated, old rivalries be damned.

And yet, much to the disappointment of many, there wasn't a single snowflake to be seen. A couple of people had started asking if they were running a pool on whether they'd get a white Christmas this year, and after a couple of days, she and Dailli were seriously considering it.

Setting the last pawn in place, Solin put the box on the floor, leaning back in her seat to wait. The chess set had been a leaving present from her old housemates, but she hadn't had much cause to pull it out until recently. Grainy had given her a few games, at which point she found out her sister really was a better fighter than strategist, and Dailli couldn't really see the appeal in it. Of course then Trunks had mentioned it after losing a game in the Hero Coliseum, and now she had a reliable partner whenever she wanted a game.

As if responding to that thought, a key turned in the lock outside, Trunks carefully closing the door behind him before hanging his coat up. "Hey, I don't remember agreeing to give you a key!" Solin teased, trying unsuccessfully to dislodge Gnocchi so she could at least get the drinks. However the fluff ball was unwilling to give up his perch, digging his claws in when she went to lift him up.

Wincing at Solin's silent scream as she redoubled her efforts, Trunks went for the kitchen himself, talking over his shoulder, "Very funny, but Grainy gave me her key. She wanted to take care of something first." Spotting a box in the cupboard, he pulled it out, and gave it a quick shake. Like a shot, Gnocchi was in the kitchen, staring up at him and the dry treats expectantly, leaving Solin to trail behind him.

Pretending to kick the cat as she went by, Solin grabbed the mugs she'd already set out, "She say what?"

"Nope, all I got was a grin."

"She's up to something."

"Definitely."

After appeasing Gnocchi with an early dinner, they moved back into the living room, taking up positions on the couch and a floor cushion, surveying the battlefield. Trunks as white, moved first, nudging a pawn forwards. Solin responded as she always did, with her knight. Aside from a soft smirk, Trunks gave no reaction, simply moving along another space.

"Did you think about what I said last time?" He asked after a few minutes, when her bishop had been replaced by his rook.

There wasn't an immediate answer, Solin preferring to take a second to think before doing so. "I did."

"And?"

"I have a hard enough time knowing what to buy, and I live with the woman." Picking up her other bishop and moving it to safety, she suddenly looked up with a grin, "Luckily, we both have Tana on hand. There are a few things back home that Grainy really wants, and she's offered to pick them up if we give her the cash."

"Easily done. What about you?" Last year Trunks had gotten Solin a large box of desserts that had been very well received (and hadn't lasted an hour if Grainy was to be believed). He had approached the holiday season under the illusion that fighting alongside and spending more of his free time with her would've given him some idea of what to get her for Christmas.

Then again, he'd gotten Grainy a coffee mug last year. A big, chocolate filled mug, but still.

Solin gave him a helpless shrug, "Chocolate again?"

"Only if you promise to make it last the week at least."

"I make no such oath." The pieces were moving fairly quickly, as strategies were created and discarded in seconds, until, with a shit eating grin, Solin went in for the kill…just as the intercom by the door gave a terrific ring. Knocked out of her rhythm, the blonde blinked at the board before setting her piece back down with a scowl. "Don't touch it!"

Trunks held up his hands, "I wasn't planning to."

Shoving the button with her thumb, Solin leaned closer to the speaker, "We don't buy from callers at the door, read the sign!"

 _"Ha ha, let me in."_ Surprisingly, Grainy didn't sound at all bothered by the joke, something that made Solin scowl, even as she pressed the other button. _"Good choice, I brought hot chocolate from the cafe."_

The cheerful 'ooh' this pulled out of Solin made both Trunks and Grainy chuckle, but she cheerfully ignored them in favour of draining her coffee before going back to the door to wait. Knowing her sister, Grainy had enough sense to hand over one of the paper cups before stepping over the threshold, keeping the others close as she shrugged off her jacket.

Moving to sit next to Trunks on the sofa and handing the second cup over before curling up, Grainy took in the board, humming quietly, "Who's winning?"

"Solin was, before you distracted her." Taking a long sip of his hot chocolate and sighing in appreciation, Trunks settled back, correctly guessing that the game would be on hold until Solin had finished her drink. "Did you sort out what you needed to?"

Seeing Gnocchi padding out of the kitchen, Grainy patted her lap in an invitation before turning back to her partner, "Yeah. We should be seeing the results soon."

Intrigued, Trunks went to ask the question, but was put off by Solin suddenly putting him in check, forcing him to put his curiosity on hold while he rescued his king. Grainy offered no further information, simply resting her head on the back cushion as she watched.

After a very close win for Trunks, the pair began setting up for another game. Catching a pawn as it rolled off the table, Solin happened to glance out of the window, gasping loud enough to catch the others' attention. Trunks looked at her in alarm before following her gaze and giving a laugh of disbelief, but Grainy simply sat back and sipped at her drink, reminding herself to thank Percel and the others in the morning. With a few flasks of hot chocolate, or a couple of snowballs each maybe. Shrugging to herself, Grainy decided to think about it.

The snow would last until Christmas after all.

* * *

In honour of the sudden snowfall affecting England (and that's buried Coventry!), and my own hopes for a white Christmas :)


	10. Late Night Bite

_Late Night Bite_

 _You meet the weirdest people when you're out late. But not even Solin could've predicted just who would turn up when she's tired, alone, and hungry...not to mention completely defenceless._

Or, the author can't wait until the new DLC pack comes out and had to write something to tide her over. This will most likely become very AU once the next batch of missions come in.

* * *

"Here you go, one traffic accident on a plate." Solin raised her head from her hands, taking in the mishmash of pasta, sauce and what might've been meatballs at some point. Sesa's description wasn't that far off the mark, but at the moment, Solin was more interested in the steam coming off it, and the gorgeous smell.

Reaching for her fork and giving it another quick stir, Solin gave the waitress a tired grin, "Sesa, I refuse to believe you're still single."

"That an offer?"

"Keep feeding me at three in the morning, and it will be." The majin just waved her off and headed back into the kitchen, leaving Solin to her early morning snack. She hadn't done this since basic training, but there she was, a hoodie thrown over the tank top and shorts she usually slept in, and unlaced tennis shoes on her feet. Sometimes, living right next door to what was usually the busiest place in the city had its perks.

Tonight though, it was just Solin, Sesa, and the giant pile of dishes that the majin was currently dealing with. She'd waved off the offer of help, claiming that Solin was likely to drop as many as she cleaned in her current state, something the blonde had grudgingly accepted, before setting her head down for a power nap. Once her stupid stomach had been appeased, she could just head back to her room and get another few hours, maybe more if she felt up to writing a quick note for her sister.

It was maybe about halfway into the pasta that the bell above the door tinkled, Sesa coming out to see who the newest customer was. After a second, Solin followed suit, her sluggish mind growing a little more alert at the unfamiliar face. It wasn't like she knew everyone in the city, but she'd definitely never seen anybody like this.

As if sharing the concern, Sesa's voice was more than little off as she asked the stranger if she could get him anything. He seemed to consider it before nodding, "I wouldn't say no to a sandwich. That is, if you're still serving."

"24 hour service here. Any particular filling?"

"Surprise me." The stranger kept the smile on his face, like he was completely unaware of the two women's suspicion of him. In fact, he probably was, if the way he moved closer to Solin's seat, hovering awkwardly was any indication. "May I?"

"Might as well." Turning back to her food, Solin made sure to get a good look as she did, mulling his appearance over. He had purple skin and white hair in a ponytail, but it wasn't that that drew Solin's eye, nor the sword he wore at the base of his spine (though she was smart enough to be wary of that). Even his glasses didn't raise much suspicion. No, her interest lay with something else entirely. "Do you have a name?" She asked mildly.

He seemed to hesitate before giving it. "Fu. And you're Solin Ward, right?"

"Not many people know the second name. Mind if I ask where you heard it?"

Fu put a hand to the back of his head in embarrassment, and Solin briefly wondered if she was imagining how his cheeks got a little darker. "Caught on the first hurdle. I'm not exactly from here, you see..."

"You're from the future," Solin shrugged, "So are a lot of people in Conton." A stubborn meatball that refused to go on her fork halted the exchange briefly, but it was soon speared, the blonde continuing as she brought it to her mouth, "How far forwards?"

"Enough that you and your sister have become somewhat legendary. And isn't that always the first thing you do when given the chance to time travel? Meet the legends?"

If that was what he had come here for, then he was damned good at hiding his disappointment, Solin decided. Still, if nothing else, it just proved how good a liar he actually was. Wondering how best to go about it, Solin eventually decided to go with the time honoured method of leaping now, looking later.

It hadn't killed her yet after all.

Fiddling with her fork like it was the most interesting thing on her mind, Solin went to ask the question, but Sesa's reappearance, chicken salad sandwich in hand made her pause, Fu similarly going quietly. "Are you sure this is all you want?" The majin asked, catching the look in Solin's eye. "We do a mean pasta. Just ask Big Mouth there."

"You've been talking to Grainy, I see." Solin playfully scowled, drawing a laugh from her friend as she went back to the kitchen, and out of the possible danger zone.

Ignoring Fu's slightly confused look, the blonde polished off the last of her pasta and pushed her plate away, sitting back to let it all go down while he started to pick at the sandwich. It wasn't until she heard the back door close with a quiet click, and she was certain that it was clear that she sighed. "No, it's not."

Having caught him with his mouth full, she was forced to wait until he swallowed, suddenly aware of how Grainy and Trunks must've felt every time they went to dinner together. "I'm sorry, I don't quite understand."

"This isn't your first trip into the past. If anything, I'd say it has to be at least the third. First the tournament with Universe Six, and then the Zero Mortal Plan." Keeping her tone neutral, she turned her head towards him, already feeling her fingers twitching into fists. And then, her patience was rewarded.

The shift was gradual, but still very glaring, as the quiet smile switched to a dark, scheming smirk, as his posture straightened until the nervous young man from before was completely gone. One hand pushed away the sandwich, while the other adjusted his glasses. "Dare I ask what gave me away?" He scoffed when she refused to grace him with a response, but the brief flicker of her eyes was more than enough, "Ah, my ears of course. You've probably only seen Kais or Demons that look like me, and since I don't wear potara…" Even his voice had changed, becoming more confident, and just a little bit condescending.

"Am I wrong?"

"Of course you're not." Fu twisted the stool around so they were facing each other properly, leaning on the counter as he did, "The question is, what are you planning to do with that information, because with your intelligence, you must know that a fight is not on the cards?"

"And why not?" When her fingers twitched this time, Solin didn't stop them from curling properly.

Giving her hands a quick look, Fu raised an eyebrow, "Forgetting the fact that you just ate almost your weight in pasta and are likely running on adrenaline rather than any full rest? If you were your sister, I doubt I'd leave here without taking some damage. But you? You fight with no control, no care for your surroundings. Even the simplest technique in your hands could bring both this building down, and the one next door. Would you risk the safety of so many people just to get at me?" Firmly locking her jaw, Solin didn't vocally respond, which was just the answer Fu had been expecting. "Of course you could just punch me until I was laid out on the floor, but again, you're not Grainy. Whereas she has sacrificed her defence for speed, you prefer the opposite. By the time you threw the first punch, I'd be centuries away, far out of your grasp."

"So just like every other Demon who tries fucking with time, you're an arrogant coward who only shows himself when he knows he's safe." Solin shook her head, lips forming a bitter smirk. "I don't know why I was expecting anything else."

"On the contrary, I came here because I genuinely did want to meet the legends I have chosen as my opponents. Nola Pastel, the godkiller, and Solin Ward…" He slowly leaned closer, ignoring how she tensed up as he whispered in her ear, "The girl responsible for killing my parents."

As he pulled away, Fu took a small amount of pleasure in the utter shock on Solin's face. He was almost disappointed that she hadn't guessed everything, but then, he did admit that he didn't quite match the other denizens of the Demon Realm. Well, one couldn't have everything. "I hope you enjoyed our first few clashes, even if you didn't know who you were facing. Rest assured, that will be remedied very soon."

Giving his sandwich an almost longing look, Fu slowly rose from his seat, unsurprised when Solin rose to meet him, even if her small stature lessened the effect somewhat. "Until we meet again."

"That might be sooner than you think."

Snorting to himself, and turning on his heel, Fu walked towards the door with one hand on his sword hilt. He was almost halfway there when he suddenly whirled around, slicing the beam that Solin had launched neatly in two. The now separate streams were just weak enough that they left only small scorch marks on the wall behind him rather than decimating it. Looking at the marks with an amused smile, Fu gave her a careless shrug, completely ignorant to the hand that slowly came around the door to hold the bell. "Now, if you'll excuse me…"

Bringing her arm down, Solin gave a smirk before slowly moving her eyes past him, to a point above his shoulder. "You're bluffing." Fu accused, the arrogance vanishing when Grainy cracked her knuckles right behind him.

The next second flashed by, Fu just narrowly blocking the punch set for his head, his hand shaking with effort of keeping Grainy at bay. Without hesitating, Solin raced forwards, ducking into a slide to kick at his legs just as Grainy finally threw off his grip. Her hands came together to blast him while he struggled to keep his balance, even as Solin backed off to lunge again. Quickly flashing away, he took the second to breath, as both sisters dodged the other's attacks. "You might want to work on your teamwork." He huffed, trying hard to keep his breathlessness to himself.

With barely a look at each other, Solin flew at him again, while her sister stayed back to fire beam after beam, forcing him to split his attention. Only when Solin was inches away did she moved, vanishing to get him from behind again. Holding his nerve until the very last second, Fu warped away again, this time succeeding in his attempt to get away. He watched with a grimace as they collided.

Both sisters hit the ground, clutching their faces. A frantic search found their opponent in the corner, before he vanished through a small wormhole that opened at his feet, sending the furniture around him into a frenzy. Quickly throwing her arms over her head, Grainy waited until everything had clattered to the floor again before looking up, her fist smacking the ground in frustration. "Son of a-!"

"My sentiments exactly." Solin growled, sounding a lot less threatening than she might have if her nose wasn't pouring with blood. A quiet sniff just increased the flow, her hoodie sleeve doing a terrible job of soaking it up. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"Sesa nearly broke the front door in knocking. She said you might be in trouble." Giving her lip a careful poke, Grainy glared at the blood on her finger tips. Unlike her sister, she kept it away from her dressing gown, grabbing a napkin off the floor instead. "So, I'm guessing that's our new friend?"

"Oh yeah. And guess who he has particular beef with?"

"Good." Grainy nodded, "It wouldn't be half as fun otherwise."


	11. Looking to the Future

_Looking to the Future_

 _With the latest crisis behind them, and a new friend at their side, Solin, Trunks and Grainy are free to think about their own futures. Of course, something none of them could've seen coming might impact those plans, just slightly._

* * *

Storming up to the front door, Solin took a deep breath, forcing her nerves to settle. The day was done, Fu had slipped away again, and there was nothing she could do about it now. Once she was certain she wouldn't snap again, she fished around for her key, finally locating it in her now empty capsule case.

An increasingly familiar sight greeted her, Trunks pausing in his reading to take in the rage still dripping from her, blinking when it seemed to vanish at seeing them. Usually, they shared the sofa, but tonight Grainy was sprawled out completely with a blanket covering her, while Trunks was sat on the floor with Gnocchi. Before she could even ask though, Grainy took in her sister's condition and sat bolt upright. "Jesus Christ, what happened to you?"

Solin shrugged, ignoring the ache it sent through her body, and the cut on her side that had opened again. Several smaller ones were visible on her arms and face, but it was her side that would be keeping her awake all night. "Fu got the bright idea to boost my power by sacrificing my health and then the little creep _kept doing it."_ Biting back her next words, Solin took another deep breath, taking the armchair for herself. "But enough about my day. What's wrong with you?"

Trunks chuckled to himself while Grainy rolled her eyes. "He's mother-henning me because I felt a bit faint in the staff meeting today."

"You _did_ faint." Her partner pointed out.

"Only for a second."

Putting the bookmark in place, Trunks mimed a cup to Solin, rising when she nodded. Then his last words seemed to register, making her twist round in her chair as he went into the kitchen, "Wait, what? Why didn't you call me?"

"We tried, but you couldn't hear us over threatening to turn Fu into a stick puppet with the power pole." He made a good point, Solin accepted, untwisting again.

Once she was certain he was in the kitchen, Grainy sat up properly, resting an arm along the back of the sofa. "Besides, there's nothing to worry about. The doctor took some blood-"

"After we held Grainy in the chair." Trunks called through, ignorant to the mock glare his girlfriend was wearing.

"And they're rushing it through testing. Until then, if it means anything at all, I feel fine, the food is starting to burn, and Solin, there's a senzu bean in the medicine cabinet." Clapping her hands with a grin, Grainy start to stand up, only to wobble at the last second and flop back down. Pointing a finger at Solin, she whispered, "This means nothing."

"It's all that coffee you drink." Solin said instead. As she went past the kitchen, she saw Trunks furiously trying to disperse a large cloud of smoke that had burst from the oven. Eyes widening in alarm, she went for the senzu bean, crunching down on it just as dinner emerged, slightly crispy, but still edible. "It was the first thing I ever said to you, remember? 'Too much of that stuff will kill you'."

"That was not the first thing you said to her." Trunks said, laughing in disbelief when Grainy rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.

Solin shrugged as she helped him dish up, sparing only a wince when her side knitted itself together again, "First coherent thing anyway."

The matter was officially closed when the food was on the plates (and Grainy very pointedly given juice instead of coffee). Of course it was only a few bites into the food that Trunks broke the rule, asking Grainy to promise she'd take it easy in the morning. "I don't want to get a call from the doctor's office to say they've had to scrape you up again."

"They didn't have to scrape me up anyway. You caught me and quite heroically I must add."

Making a gagging noise, Solin took a sip of her tea, "Suddenly I'm glad I was getting my guts ripped out today." She poked Trunks playfully, "Anyway, I'm the one who'll be doing the heavy lifting tomorrow in the supermarket, while she sits in another staff meeting." Carefully cutting away at a particularly burnt piece, Solin raised her head again, "What are you guys talking about anyway? This is like the third meeting in a week." Silence met her question, Grainy and Trunks sharing a long, meaningful look. Feeling her mouth dry suddenly, Solin realised she knew that look. Her carers had always worn it around the kid they had just been discussing.

Finally though, Grainy set her fork down, licking her lips, "We're discussing the transition of leadership. Namely, the transition between you and me for the commander position."

"What?!"

"The position rightly belongs to the strongest patroller, and that hasn't been me in a long time." Grainy explained, ignoring her sister's spluttering. "Not since you handled the incident at the tournament, maybe even when you took care of Mira."

Solin was gaping as she sank back into her chair, food momentarily forgotten, "But, I can't take your job!"

Reaching for Grainy's hand, Trunks took over, "It wouldn't happen right away, and we're very much at the considering stage, but Grainy is all for it."

Looking to her sister, Solin only just caught the small nod, "I want to take a break for a while. Like Trunks said though, we're just thinking about it now. That's why we didn't tell you right away, so you wouldn't worry."

"Bit late for that now." Solin grumbled. Still, with a huff, she picked up her fork, trying desperately to think of something to talk about, "So what were you reading when I came in?"

* * *

Nothing good ever came from a tip to the infirmary, a truth that rang doubly loud if, like Grainy, you were scared of doctors. It wasn't their needles or the lab coats, there was just something about doctors that set her teeth on edge. Grainy wasn't too tough to admit to it either, and her honesty on the matter was usually repaid by the medical staff doing their best to keep her rare visits as short as possible.

That however, was very likely to change.

A second slip of paper had been clipped to the blood report, translating the scientific jargon. Under the watchful, patient eyes of Doctor Cordio, Grainy finished reading the slip, before turning it over to read the full report for herself.

The first half of her blood results would result in Solin walking around with a smug look for the rest of the evening. As it turned out, drinking black coffee with plenty of sugar on an empty stomach was not entirely healthy, even in someone as active as she was. Still, as long as she kept off the caffeine for a long time, everything should go back to normal within time. From there, she would just have to be more careful in how much she did drink.

No, it was the second part she was having trouble digesting, her eyes running over the words again and again, begging them to change. It was stalling at its finest, and Cordio left her to it. Finally thought, there was nothing left to do but put the paper back on the desk, and close her eyes, "Please tell me this is a mistake."

"I'm afraid not, Commander. We ran the tests twice to make sure."

Fighting the urge to curse, Grainy opened her eyes again, thinking of all the sensible questions that she was supposed to ask. "How far is it?"

Rather than give a verbal answer, Cordio came around his desk, holding out his hand, before resting it on the affected area at her nod. The calm healing energy of the Dragon clan briefly ran through her body, before he pulled his hand away, "Two months." He finally nodded.

"Two months." Grainy repeated, paling. With a frown of his own, Cordio stood up again, perching on the corner of his desk. It wasn't very long at all, but a lot could happen in that space of time, something time travellers understood better than anybody.

With a shaky sigh, Grainy folded the paper neatly, slipping it into her bag as she stood up, "Thank you for your time, doctor. I need some time to think about this."

"Of course, Commander." For all her efforts to avoid his office, Cordio understood his patient well, and didn't bother using any of the stock phrases. "If you phone the infirmary when you're feeling a little better, we can discuss the caffeine issue at length then. Until then, please avoid your usual mix of coffee." After a minute's thought he added, "I do prescribe a cup of sugared tea for tonight only though. To help with the shock."

Thanking him again, Grainy let herself out of the office and back into the city. Her feet steered her towards the flat, because there was no question of her going back to the Time Nest now. People would ask questions and she really didn't want to deal with that, not before having that damned tea.

It wasn't until she was pacing in her flat waiting for the kettle to boil that she felt the urge to scream. To just scream and scream and scream because _two months_ … But the flat had thin walls, as Solin complained every morning when Grainy's alarm woke her up. They'd gone this long without annoying their neighbours, and Grainy wasn't about to start now.

Gnocchi watched her stride up and down the flat with more concern than even he thought himself capable of. When his human at last came to a stop and took a deep breath, he mewed worriedly, receiving a warm smile in return. "Don't worry boy. I'm just being very silly." As she rubbed his ears, Grainy spotted her small CD player, an idea coming to her.

* * *

Leaning heavily on the cart as she pushed it through the aisle, Solin reran the past few months in her head, trying to find the point Grainy had spoken about. Sure, the second commander's position was for the strongest warrior, but like someone had pointed out to her, strength took many forms, and her sister was easily the more controlled and experienced of the two. The same person had told her that with her lack of control, she'd never be the fighter her sister was, and if she could just remember who had told her, she'd have some evidence to present to the Kais.

It was as she though this that the cart brushed by someone, Solin sighing in annoyance as she continued past them, "I'm not in the mood, Fu."

The demon pouted at her, falling into step as she continued down the cereal aisle, "You didn't turn up to the Time Nest today. There was just a bunch of serious faced guys and Nola."

"Staff meeting to discuss leadership line up." Solin explained. There was no point in hiding it from Fu, since he'd just find out anyway when he got bored enough to actually take an interest. "And call her Grainy, would you? Everyone else does."

Shrugging like it didn't bother him either way, Fu glanced into her cart, before reaching for a box on the top shelf she was just about to float up to. "Isn't there someone who could help you with all this?"

"Grainy's in a staff meeting or the doctor's, Trunks is visiting his family and Dailli is on an intensive training course. The kind where you meditate under waterfalls for a few hours."

"Wait, people actually do that?"

"Apparently." Checking her list quickly, Solin steered them into the last aisle, opening freezers and taking what she needed. In spite of Grainy's insistence that it wasn't proper food unless you had prepared everything by yourself, her sister had grudgingly come to terms with the fact that sometimes they didn't have the time or energy to cook everything by hand. It didn't stop Grainy being picky about which ready meals she did eat, but it was a start.

Fu surprisingly stayed right through the cashier process, chattering non stop about the experiment they'd run the day before and the results he'd gotten at Solin's expense. It wasn't until they were moving to put the cart back and the demon scooped up about half the carrier bags without a word that Solin realised he was actually going to help her. "This isn't just a trick to find out where we live, is it?"

"Nope. Besides I already know you live right next to the café. Grainy was too fast getting there without flying."

Pausing mid step, Solin gave him a serious look, "Wait, what?"

"Nothing, just another timeline I experimented with before absorbing the change." Flashing her his annoying smirk, Fu gestured that they continue on with his head, which Solin did, after growling at him.

After spending a minute looking like a fool as she tried to activate the sensor lock on the door with her arms full, Solin levered the door open with her foot. "No flying in the building." She explained, when Fu looked between the elevator (and its out of order sign) and the stairs. "The maintenance team have been busy with making sure everything's still running properly after Dabura turned it all to stone."

Luckily she and Grainy had a flat closer to the ground than the roof and so after only a few flights, she was able to set a few bags down to fish for her key. It wasn't until she was actually stepping into the flat and telling Fu to take his shoes off that Solin froze, head turning towards the closed kitchen door.

Appearing not to notice, Fu was soon absorbed by another sight, his face lighting up, "Cool, you never told me you had a cat!" Gnocchi sniffed at the fingers Fu was holding out, the demon patiently waiting for the verdict.

"He's actually Grainy's cat and he doesn't- Seriously fluffball? Just me?" For a minute, Solin was distracted by Gnocchi purring and rolling onto his back, allowing Fu the rare honour of giving him a belly rub. Rolling her eyes, Solin levered the kitchen door open, whistling sharply to be heard over the music coming from the CD player, and Grainy's own God awful singing. "We're back!"

To her surprise though, Grainy didn't seem to hear her, even when Solin pressed the pause button. She just carried on singing, carefully dicing the carrot on the board in front of her. The strips turned to finer cubes, and then even finer dust until at last Solin rested a hand on her sister's arm, exerting just enough force that Grainy had to set the knife down.

Even then, Grainy kept her eyes firmly downwards. "I had my blood results back today."

"Christ that was fast." Solin said, taking a quick look to confirm that Fu was still occupied with the cat. Raising her eyes at last, Grainy sighed at the sight. "It's…it's just the coffee, right? Nothing serious?" When there was no answer, Solin grabbed her sister's shoulders, forcing her to turn away from the counter and look at her properly, "Grainy, whatever it is, I can't help if you don't tell me!"

The words were quiet, murmured so low that even Solin's ears had a hard time picking them up. But when they did, she released her sister with a frozen mix of horror and shock. The expression was mirrored on Grainy's face, even as Solin pulled away, her eyes going to the living room.

* * *

Without the threat of the androids or divine punishment, life was steadily returning to normal. The areas around the Capsule Corp building were being pieced back together, and the radio in the garage was playing actual music, rather than a running report of danger. His younger self and Gohan had stopped training about an hour ago, and the air ran thick with the smell of fresh meat and rice, courtesy of Chi-Chi agreeing to come down from the mountain for a while to visit her friends.

As for Trunks, he had his upper body under one of the hover cars, trying to find the problem. His mom had protested, saying she'd get to it tomorrow, but he knew she'd be busy with the clinic, and what did he visit for if not to make things easier on her every now and then? As it happened though, he was the only one thinking like that.

"Hey, Mirai, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, what's up?" Rolling his board back out from under the car, Trunks watched his younger self come down the stairs and take a seat on a stool. The younger Trunks would soon catch up to his brother in height, perhaps even less time now that he had a reliable food source. For now though, a few inches still separated them, even when the older Trunks got to his feet.

Pequeno Trunks (He'd refused to go by Chibi, and had taken Grainy's alternative suggestion, unaware of her grin) played with his fingers a little before looking up at his brother, a faint blush to his cheeks, "Can you give me some advice about girls?"

A smile crept onto the elder's face. Gohan had embarrassed Pequeno the night before, reporting a meeting with a young girl while they'd been helping in the city, and how eager the younger had been to assist her. Bulma had been more than a little surprised by her resemblance to someone she'd known in the past, but agreed that she seemed nice enough. According to the others, Pequeno kept finding excuses to head out there, and absolutely nobody was fooled by his insistence that there was nothing to it.

Still, "I would've thought you'd ask Gohan."

"I did. And Mom." Pequeno huffed in a dramatic fashion, "They said I should ask you since you actually have a girlfriend."

"True," Trunks pulled off his work gloves and set them on the side, folding his arms with a smile, "But I think they're forgetting the part where I broke the laws of time, got her suspended after knocking her out, and the small fact that her dad absolutely hates me."

There was a short pause. "Yeah but you have a girlfriend."

Barely getting a chance to roll his eyes, Trunks was saved from saying anything else by Bulma poking her head in, "Mirai, Solin's on the phone for you. She says it's about Grainy."

She'd left the phone off its hook for him, and when he picked it back up, all that was coming through was a whispered argument. At least, that was what it sounded like until he realised Grainy was speaking Portuguese, and Solin was trying to remind her sister that her grasp of the language was non-existent. "Solin? Is everything alright?"

 _"Oh Trunks!"_ The whispers in the background clammed up, and he could just imagine her smug face. _"Well, I found Fu in the supermarket and Grainy got her test results back."_

 _"Solin, please!"_

Adjusting his grip on the phone, Trunks waved off his mother's look of concern as she went by. Going by Grainy's reaction, he was either about to hear the truth, or a great whopping lie. "It's not good then?"

Sure enough, there was a short pause, Solin hesitating, _"Well, the fainting yesterday was down to the caffeine like I said. But something else turned up and-"_ She was cut off by a stream of rapid, violent sounding Portuguese, _"How much of that could I repeat in front of Dad?"_

 _"_ Catar coquinho na ladeira! _"_ That one Trunks knew, having had Grainy's dad attach it at the bottom of a letter, a little message just for him. He didn't know the exact translation, but Grainy's reaction to seeing it had been more than enough of a clue.

Knowing that they weren't likely to get anywhere at this rate, Trunks pinched the bridge of his nose. "Solin, put Grainy on."

 _"But-"_

"If she doesn't want to tell me, then that's fine. I'm sure if it's serious, and if I need to know, she'll tell me."

 _"Oh it's fucking serious alright."_ Even so, he heard the phone getting passed over, Solin announcing that she'd leave them to it, and ordering Fu to put the cat down. Taking a minute to try and figure that one out, Trunks eventually just rolled his eyes.

The next voice he heard was Grainy's, shaky from her outburst, and still tinged with a slight accent, _"I'm not telling you unless you promise to stay there. You don't get enough time with them as it is."_

"Grainy, I promise. Now please, what's going on?"

* * *

It wasn't until after dinner that Bulma was able to pry the problem from her eldest son. He'd all but collapsed into his chair at the table, having apparently lost an argument over how he'd be spending the rest of his leave. From there he'd avoided all questions until after Gohan and Chi-Chi had left, and Pequeno had gone to bed. Now, with a strong cup of tea in front of him, he explained everything.

She let him speak without interrupting, sipping carefully on her tea. As far as she could see, the problem wasn't anything that he and Grainy wouldn't be able to handle, especially with their friends and family behind him. No, there was something else, and Trunks was taking an awful long time getting round to the crux of the matter.

Finally though, after a top up of tea each, he took a deep breath. "A couple of weeks ago, we finally caught the ones behind the changes. Solin did the majority of the legwork, so she was out when Dabura, Towa's brother, invaded the Vault. He turned us all to stone and kidnapped the Supreme Kai of Time." Trunks rubbed his head, but it did nothing to help his headache, "Even if there wasn't that to worry about…" He stopped with a sigh, letting his head fall onto the table. "We were so careful."

Squeezing his shoulder, Bulma stirred another bit of sugar into his cup, "Before you started arguing, did Grainy say anything else? Has she made any plans?"

"She's phoning the doctors tomorrow. Hopefully they'll be able to tell if both of them are alright. From there, I don't know." Trunks raised his head and propped it up with a hand. "We're not ready to be parents."

"You need to sit down with her. Tomorrow night, phone and ask how it went with the doctors. Make it clear that you're going to be involved, no matter the final decision." Draining her cup, Bulma rose to put it on the side for washing. "If she's insisting on you staying here, don't start another argument. Just keep making sure she knows you're not going to leave her holding the bag on this one."

"I wasn't going to-"

"I know. And so does Grainy, and Solin and everyone else. That doesn't mean Grainy won't want to hear it."

Trunks ducked his mother's gaze. He didn't need it spelling out for him. Looking into his teacup, he tried to imagine what Grainy was doing at that moment. She was probably curled up with Gnocchi and a book, or with Solin and another DVD. Probably the second one, since he couldn't picture Solin giving her a chance to start worrying. As an idea formed, he stood up, making Bulma blink in surprise. "I'll be back in a minute," He promised.

"Take as long as you need." Bulma nodded. As she rinsed out the cups, her ears picked up on the sound of the phone in the hall being picked up. With a small smile, she crossed over to the door, lingering long enough to hear Trunks murmur Grainy's name before closing it.

Tomorrow was going to be an interesting day.

* * *

 **So this was inspired by my friend giving me some wonderful news a little while back. She has long been a victim of these stories, hearing out my ideas and helping me on those days when I literally cannot think of what to write. Soon I'll be vying for her attention with her first babby, and I can't wait.**

 **Just for reference, she and her partner had the complete opposite reaction to Grainy and Trunks. That kid is going to have so much love piled on them, they won't know what to do with it all.**


	12. Milestones

**So, I wrote this in less than five hours. It was _supposed_ to be done months ago, but between starting work, writer's block and a lack of sleep, I only managed to get round to it now. While my friend, who I'm writing it for was in hospital having the baby I'm writing this for.**

 **God damn it, I need better time management.**

 _ **Milestones: Snapshots as our time travelling family prepares to grow again.**_

* * *

 _Month Two: Results_

The doctors give the report to her with wide grins. Her baby is no more affected by being turned to stone than she was, and is perfectly content in their home. When she phones Trunks to give him the news, he gingerly asks if he can come back yet, and another round of bickering starts.

There's no venom in it though, too much relief in both their tones for anybody to be fooled.

She waits until after the next meeting to tell the Kais. Solin sits at her side, learning what will soon be her role with all the seriousness it demands. Grainy's glad of it, since it means there's someone to lend her notes, and her mind refuses to focus on a word that's being said.

The triumphant cheers and multitude of questions that comes her way once the Nest is almost empty are a relief, the secret weight decreasing with every squeal that leaves Chronoa's mouth, and every wry observation that leaves the Elder Kais'.

She pretends not to see Fu reading through the reports the doctors had let her take home, frown easing with every written assurance that everything from heart rate to the baby's size is as it should be.

* * *

 _Month Three: Telling_

They agree on who to tell. Their families and the Kais will know, as well as Tana and Fu. The less people who know, the less gossip that can reach enemy ears, even though there don't seem to be any enemies any more.

His family already know, courtesy of the phone call, and Fu puts the pieces together from the arguing that nobody had thought to kick him out for. When Trunks tells Vegeta, the Prince of All Saiyans laughs, carries on laughing as his future son leaves, and is probably still laughing when they all set out for the past.

Tana and Cass give the couple their congratulations, and that's all Trunks hears before he's being dragged to the art studio by Garri. The expected lecture, or list of his crimes against Grainy never comes though, instead he is issued with a single demand.

"You're not marrying her for this." Before he can protest, the artist holds up a firm hand, "This is a clean slate for all of us. But I'd rather you waited until you were certain before tying yourselves to each other, rather than it being out of an outdated sense of honour." Then, still visibly looking like it pains him, Garri holds out a hand, exhaling when Trunks shakes it. Before Trunks can breathe in relief though, there's still one last thing to be said. "Hurt either of them, and I'll have you flayed and displayed on a canvas."

"Sounds perfectly reasonable."

From her spot on the stairs, Solin rolls her eyes before going back to the kitchen to give her report.

* * *

 _Month Four: Changes_

Her home changes around her.

It begins with all the doctor's leaflets, and then the ones from the residential sectors, offering the perfect house for a family just starting out. About the same time they begin showing up, she starts waking up to hear her sister in the bathroom, trying to be quiet, but failing miserably.

She laughs when they blame the baby's refusal to uncross their legs during the scan on her. As if she's the only stubborn one in this family.

Solin gets used to putting in weird orders at the café, ears pricking at every mention of food Grainy makes, whether it's to Trunks, her, or even Gnocchi. Some of the creations actually look pretty good, and it becomes routine to add to a list stuck to the fridge. Others Grainy is welcome to, Solin doing her best to avoid grimacing whenever she smells it.

The biggest change comes when they're washing up. Well, she's drying, but still spins round at the clatter of cutlery. Her sister's staring into space for a good minute, waiting before she grabs Solin's hand, placing it on the growing bump under her shirt. On cue, there's a tiny movement, barely enough to be felt.

* * *

 _Month Five: Fear_

The cradle they pick up from her parents is her old one. It's placed in the corner of her room for now, waiting to be moved to the house they're eyeing with more and more certainty. It's perfect for a child of royalty (which Vegeta, once he finally stopped laughing, insisted they remember), with fresh sheets and the blanket she was wrapped in when she was found neatly laundered and folded on the mattress. It had seemed natural to include it.

When Trunks finally notices her missing, he sits up in bed to find her winding the blanket around her hands, staring down into the cradle with a haunted look he knows too well. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he comes to stand by her, wrapping an arm around her tightly. "You're not like her." He promises, just as he and Solin have been telling for weeks, since the first dream.

Just like always, she nods, and begins folding the blanket back into its neat shape, setting it into the cradle with reverence. Once it's done, Trunks moves to turn a lamp on, scooping up the book from the bedside table. As he finds the page, Grainy slips in next to him, hands moving to rest on her belly. The baby reacts to their father's voice with a slow movement, as if they're swimming closer to him to listen to the story.

 _"Opening day, or opening night, rather, is spectacular. Every last detail is planned, and a massive crowd gathers outside the gates long before sundown…_ "

* * *

 _Month Six: Providing_

By now, there's not a soul who hasn't seen her baby bump. Suddenly there is no end to the offers of help, or the questions about presents, all of which she deflects with a thank you. They have nearly everything they need, and her father, granted special permission to come, has no shortage of volunteers to help decorate their new house.

But the only offer that matters doesn't come. It's a matter they don't want to think about, but can't be put off, especially after the scare they had early on. Between the specially made exercises that Ginyu helps her with, and the fake contractions, Grainy spends her days twirling a pen in her fingers, thinking about her options.

The seemingly obvious choice is their family. Solin, who is often in as much danger as they are, or worse. Her parents, who are too old to do it, even though they would, if asked. His mother, who equally deserves a rest.

In the end, the choice is made for them, when Tana and Gohan sheepishly ask about godparents between lugging paint cans and baby furniture. She and Trunks look at each other in surprise before shrugging, and making a note on a post it that she attaches to the will before tucking it away somewhere they can forget about it.

* * *

 _Month Seven: Roommate_

The accounts book that Grainy spent the last Thursday of every month frowning over is presented to her. Her sister sits with her and explains the system it uses, what days to expect the money to vanish, and when that's done, the owner of the apartment blocks signs the flat over to her.

The first thing Solin does is invite her friends over for a party. It helps her forget about the empty room across the hall, about how there's no longer any cat to trip over, and how strange it'll be to be woken by her own alarm clock, instead of Grainy's.

It's less than a week before she finds out that Fu doesn't actually seem to have a home. It's the life of a wanderer, he explains, hands behind his head. No permanent abode means he has the pick of the eras, and really, he's spoiled for choice when you consider some of the big houses in the past, with so many rooms that they're not likely to notice someone slipping in from time to time.

Solin knows he's not trying to make her feel guilty or sorry for him. In fact, he seems to enjoy telling some of the stories, and some of them are pretty funny. But she was ordered to keep an eye on him, and this, she decides as she bungs Grainy's old key at him, is the perfect way to do that.

Even if it only works for half of the week. It's hard to break a wanderer of his habits that easily, after all.

* * *

 _Month Eight: Decision_

It takes more time than they'd care to admit to pick names. Instead of fantasy, they read each other to sleep with name suggestions, the notepad by their bed filling up with each passing night. They've agreed that Grainy will pick the girl's names, and he'll take the boy's.

It's difficult to pick names though, when the entirety of Conton City keeps asking about it, or the baby's gender, which is still a mystery (No matter how many times they went back, there is no chance of getting an answer, even when they made no verbal mention of the hospital. He suspected telepathy.)

It seems everyone's placing bets, with only Chronoa and Whis claiming complete innocence of any bias. He'd like to make the decision without any influence that doesn't come from Grainy, and sticks stubbornly to it, until at last, they whittle the list down to three names, one for a boy, one for a girl, and a backup for either gender.

Trunks leaves it to Solin and Dailli to get the word out, and by the end of the day, those who picked Jean, Cammy and Peco are collecting their winnings.

* * *

 _Month Nine: Arrival_

The crowd in the waiting room is far from the strangest one the Conton Hospital has ever seen, but there's a new kind of tension in the air. Even Vegeta, dragged from training his students by his wife's insistence that he be there, is leaning against the wall next to Gohan, making no comments. Like the others, he leaves the movement to Solin, who has been pacing her way up and down the corridor for the past hour.

The contractions had started a few days ago, but they had only appeared in force that morning. A slow labour, Bulma had called it. It had been Fu who had gotten Grainy to the hospital, Trunks and Solin having been at the school when her waters broke. Now, both scientists sit playing the board games Tana has brought, utterly trouncing the blonde and Garri at Scrabble. Every now and again, Bulma gives the other version of her husband a small smile, but they keep their distance for the most part.

Finally, just as it seems to be getting impossible to breathe, footsteps approach, Cass and the Supreme Kai of Time pulling their surgical gowns off as they walk. Waiting for Solin to pause in her efforts to wear the floor down, and Pequeno to return from the snack's machine, Chronoa gives the group a short nod. It's Cass who gives them the news they're all leaning forwards for though.

"It's a girl."

Fitting into the room is difficult, but with some juggling they manage. It's made easier when Vegeta leaves to let his version of Bulma the good news, but he waits until he's held his granddaughter to do so, smirking in approval at the strength of her lungs. Cass manages to snap a photo of the moment, and every one after that as Jean is passed from aunts and uncles to her other grandparents. Garri and Solin are crying, the former kissing his daughter hard on the cheek and embracing her before trying to grab Jean from Pequeno for another cuddle.

When her niece comes around to her, Solin waits for her sister and Trunks to begin distracting the others with all the details, such as weight, before moving over to the window. Conton City is gradually giving way to the sunset, and in her eyes, it's a beautiful introduction to Jean's home. She's not the only one to think so, Jean quieting a little as her wide, blue eyes take in the different colours. There's no hair on her head yet, but her eyebrows are a soft teal colour, giving away the mystery.

"You are already so loved." Solin whispers, too quiet for anyone but Fu to hear her, and like Vegeta, he'd made his escape earlier, waiting in the corridor for her. "You will never wonder where you come from, because I refuse to let that happen to you. This is your world, Jean." Turning back to the room, as the light was beginning to get too much for Jean's new eyes, Solin looked over the eclectic mix of people, from Cass who was showing Bulma the snaps, to Garri, who was apparently learning how the two Trunks were related to each other, if his expression is anything to go by.

Sensing the attention, Grainy holds out her arms, and Solin obliges, after letting her sister see how she holds her arms. Once the transfer is complete, she wipes her tears, forcing her voice to go back to normal before delivering a last joke. "Well, if being turned to stone won't hurt her, I guess there's not much we can do to her that'll make a dent."

There's too much amusement in the boos for any measure of seriousness, and when the doctor finally kicks everyone out, leaving Grainy and Trunks with their daughter, the smiles are still in place. "She raises a good point." Trunks points out, gently brushing Jean's knuckles with his thumb. They're so soft, unlike his or Grainy's. "We've read every parenting book in the house, and I'm still nervous."

"Comes with the territory." Grainy shrugs, ignoring the ache beginning to form in her arms. Solin had made it look easy, but then her sister was used to dealing with children.

Jean gives a wide yawn, completely unaware of her father lifting her into his arms before lowering her into the crib beside the bed. Tomorrow, she'll be greeted by the rest of Conton City, and fall asleep beneath Garri's painstakingly accurate paintings of Planet Vegeta and Earth. A child of two worlds, and of two timelines.

But for now, she manages about two hours before waking up with a wail, blessed as all Saiyans are, with a bottomless pit for a stomach.

* * *

 **So, to the latest littlun, I offer you Jean, your ink and paper twin, as JK Rowling put it. I know you would prefer a Ferrari or whatever people buy new born babies these days, but your 'cool' auntie (Your mum's words, not mine) is slightly broke, with only a geriatric laptop and Dragon Ball obsession to her name.**

 **Also, extra points to whoever can tell me what book Trunks and Grainy are reading in Month Five. I don't know why I always have them reading, I just do.**


End file.
